
(lass 
Book 



COPYRIGHT DEPaSIT 



ON THE TRAIL OF 
WASHINGTON 




July '.», IT.'i.j. 



Sf^N ATI® N A L^ H (^fel D AWSt RIE 

TRADE MARK 

ON THE TRAIL OF 
WASHINGTON 

A NAREATIVE HISTORY OF WASHINGTON'S BOYHOOD 

AND MANHOOD, BASED ON HIS OWN WRITINGS, 

AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS AND OTHER 

AUTHORITATIVE INFORMATION 



BY 



FREDERICK TREVOR HILL 

author of "lincoln the lawyer," 
"the story of a street," etc. 




ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY ARTHUR E. BECHER 



NEW YORK AND LONDON 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

1910 






Washlngtoj 



COPYRIOHT, 1910, BY 

D. APPLKTON AND COMPANY 



PubUshtd February, 1910 



€c\.^2ryi:.u!j 



TO 

MY OLD COMRADE 

TREVOR 



FOREWORD 



For more than a century Washington was 
exalted as a model of manners and morals — 
and portrayed as a prig; lie was idealized as 
a hero — and rendered unreal ; he was glorified 
as the father of his country — and denied all 
human fellowship with his kin; he was in- 
vested with every virtue — and divested of all 
virile character. That he survived in the af- 
fections of his people is the best demonstra- 
tion of his true greatness. 

Of recent years, however, there has been 
a notable effort to depict the man as he real- 
ly was — a man with good red blood in his 
veins, good common sense in his head, good 
kindly feeling in his heart, and a good honest 
laugh. 

This humanizing of Washington has been 
the work of eminent editors, historians, and 

vii 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

collectors, aud their investigations during the 
past twenty years have virtually revealed 
AVashington to Americans for the fii'st time. 
They haxc winnowed the traditions from the 
facts, exposed the myths, frauds, and forgeries 
associated with his name, clarified his military 
movements, and justified, if not necessitated, 
the rew^riting of much of our early history. It 
is no longer true that Washington is ** only a 
steel engraving." Yet little of this valualile 
information has been brought home to the 
general reader and still less of it has reached 
the younger generation. 

It is to place before such readers, young 
and old, the results of this modern research 
that the w^riter retells the story of Washing- 
ton in these pages, and to the distinguished 
authorities upon whom he has relied he here- 
with makes grateful acknowledgment. Par- 
ticularly is he indebted to Mr. Samuel Palmer 
Griffin for his scholarly sifting of the great 
mass of inaterial fonning the basis of this vol- 
ume and t'(»?- liis careful revision of the text. 

Washington was not always as old as the 
viii 



FOREWORD 

Gilbert Stuart portraits indicate, nor did he 
fight his battles in a powdered wig ; the writer 
accordingly begs to express his thanks to the 
illustrator, Mr. Arthur Becher, whose con- 
scientious study has enabled him to combine 
artistic values with minute historic detail and 
to disregard all traditions which are not firm- 
ly grounded in well-authenticated facts. 

Frederick Trevor Hill. 

New York, December, 1909. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



CHAPTER 

I. — Plantation Playgrounds 1 

II. — School Days 7 

III. — Surveying and Sportsmanship . . . .23 

IV. — A First Opportunity 30 

V. — Earning a Living 37 

VI. — A Dangerous Mission 42 

VII, — Adventures in a Wilderness . . . .51 

VIII. — Baptism of Fire 57 

IX. — The Battle of Monongahela .... 64 
X.— The Commander of Virginia's Army . . 74 

XI. — Plantation Days 81 

XII.— War Clouds 88 

XIII.— The Commander-in-Chief 97 

XIV. — In the Face of Disaster 107 

XV. — Fighting for Position 115 

XVI. — A Race for Life 123 

XVII. — With His Back to the Wall . . . .130 

XVIIL— The Christmas Party 135 

XIX.— Cornered but Not Caught 141 

XX. — A Game of Strategy 148 

XXL— The Battle of Brandywine .... 154 

XXIL— A Fight in a Fog 160 

xi 



I 



CONTENTS 

nlAPTER PAGB 

XXI II. ^A STRiuidKE FOR Existence .... 170 

XX IW — TiiK Hi NTKU Hunted ISS 

XXV. — Disappointments and Defeats . . 192 

XXVI.— A Desperate Peru 200 

XXVII. — The Campaion Against Yorktown . . 215 

XXVIII.— Home Triumphs 229 

XXIX. — Peace and Purlic Service .... 242 

XXX. — The President 2oG 

XXXI. — Mount Vernon 205 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR 



FACING 
PAGE 



Washington bringing a gun into action at the Monongahela 

ambush ....... Frontispiece 

July 9, 1755. 

Washington working as a surveyor at sixteen years of age . 34 

March-April, 1748. 

Washington's first meeting with Alexander Hamilton . .118 

Harlem Heights, September 15, 1776. 

Washington and his staff following a guide across country 

at the Battle of Brandy wine 158 

September 11, 1777. 

Washington rallying the troops at the Battle of Monmouth 188 

June 28, 1778. 

Washington at Mount Vernon after the Revolution . . 244 



ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT 

PAGE 

Fly leaf of the family Bible, showing record of Washing- 
ton's birth written by him while a boy .... 3 

(From the original in the possession of Mrs. Lewis Washington, 
of Charleston, W. Va.) 

Earliest-known signatures of Washington scrawled at the 
age of about eight across the fly leaf of a book of ser- 
mons 9 

(From the original in possession of the Boston Athenaeum.) 

xiii 



I 



ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT 

PAQB 

Page of an exercise book, showing some of the " Rules of 
CiviHty," written by Washington from dictation in 
sehool 14 

(From the original in the Dt'i>artiuent of State.) 

Fly leaf of one of Washington's school books, showing his 

signature at the age of ten 18 

(From the collection of George Arthur Piimiiton, Esq.) 

Copy of penmanshij) by which Washington's handwriting 

was formed 19 

(From the collection of George Arthur I'liniptoti, K.sij.) 

Survey of Mount Vernon made by Washington when about 

fourteen 25 

(From the oriRiiial in the Department of State.) 

Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge as existing in 

1909 174 

(From a .sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 

Monument marking spot where Andr6 was captured near 

Tarrytown, N. Y. 209 

(From a sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 

Rochambeau's headquarters near Ardsley, N. Y., as existing 

in 1909 222 

(From a sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 

Washington's headquarters at Newburg, N. Y., as existing 

in 1909 236 

(From a .sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 

"The long room" in Fraunces's Tavern, New York City, 
where Washington bade farewell to his officers, as ex- 
isting in 1909 238 

(From a sketch by .Jonathan Ring.) 

Hunting horn presented to Washington by Lafayette . . 252 

(Drawn from the original :it Mount Vernon.) 



/ 



ON THE TRAIL OF 
WASHINGTON 



CHAPTER I 

PLANTATION" PLAYGROUNDS 

Washington was a born and bred country 
boy. His father, Augustine Washington, 
o^med three farms or plantations, not far dis- 
tant from each other in Virginia, and on one 
of them (which was later called " Wake- 
field ") Washington was born on February 
22, 1732. 

The farmhouse which his family then occu- 
pied was a queer little two-storied structure, 
with a steep, sloping roof, two big chim- 
neys, four rooms on the ground floor and per- 
haps as many more in the attic. It was built 
close to the Potomac River, between two 
streams known, respectively, as Bridge's 
Creek and Pope's Creek, and all around it lay 
tobacco and corn fields fringed with forests. 
In later years this place became very familiar 
3 1 



ON THK TKAII. OF WASHINGTON 

to the boy, but while he was still a mere baby 
his family moved to another of his father's 
faiiiis farther up the Potomac, and here he 
lived until he was nearly eight years old. 

This plantation was then known as Epse- 
wasson or Hunting Creek, and it was well 
named, for the surrounding woods were full of 
quail, grouse, wild turkeys, foxes, and deer, 
and the creeks and rivers were fairly alive 
with fish. Indeed, the whole country was fa- 
mous for its game, and from the Indians who 
lived in the neighboring forests Washington 
undoubtedly learned something aliout shoot- 
ing and fishing, for they were experts with the 
rod and gun, and knew far more about the 
habits of wild animals and fish than any of 
the white men. But fond as he was of such 
sport, the boy was still fonder of horses, and he 
probably never remembered the time when he 
first sat astride of a pony. Certainly he began 
learning to ride at a very early age and he had 
no lack of good instructors, for Virginians, 
then as now, prided themselves on their horse- 
manship, and most of the planters were in the 
saddle from morning till night. 

Altogether, the fai-m on Hunting Creek 
was a delightful spot for a lad like Washing- 

2 









FLY LEAF OF THE FAMILY BIBLE, SHOWING RECORD OF WASHINGTON'S 

BIRTH WRITTEN BY HIM WHILE A BOY. 
(From the original in the possession of Mrs. Lewis Washington, of Charleston, 

W. Va.) 



PLANTATION PLAYGROUNDS 

ton who loved sport and adventure, but it 
would have been a bit lonely had it not been 
for his brothers and sisters, as the nearest 
house was far away and there were no schools 
or common meeting places for children. For- 
tunately, however, there was plenty of com- 
radeship right in the family circle, for Wash- 
ington had a sister and a brother old enough 
to be very companionable, and two still 
younger brothers who later proved excellent 
playmates. Moreover, in the negro quarters 
there were a number of boys and girls who 
were allowed to join the white children in all 
their games, and for five years the woods 
about the plantation, which was later named 
*' Mount Vernon," echoed with the shouts and 
laughter of a very merry company of young- 
sters. Then one day the house burned down 
and the family moved to another farm on the 
Rappahannock River, almost directly oppo- 
site the little town of Fredericksburg. 

This plantation, sometimes called the 
ii Yerry Farm," closely resembled the others. 
The house was a small, plain, wooden build- 
ing, very simply but strongly constructed and 
painted a dark red. Around it lay tobacco, 
wheat, and corn fields, bordered, as at the other 

5 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

homes, with inviting and more or less mysteri- 
ous woods. Until lie arrived there Washing- 
ton had been allowed to run free, without 
schooling of any kind, and it is don])tfnl if he 
then know oxen liis letters, although he was 
already in his eighth year. 

He had, however, learned much that is not 
taught in books. He knew how to take care 
of himself in the open, how to make friends 
with horses and dogs, how to ride and fish and 
swim, how to lay out camps and build camp 
fires, how to recognize the tracks of wild 
animals, how to blaze or mark a trail — all the 
thousand and one things which a quick-witted, 
out-of-doors boy learns from country life. 
Best of all, he had grown tall and strong and 
hardy from his life in the open air, storing up 
strength and health for the time when steady 
nerves and a soimd body were essential for the 
work ho had to do, and with these advantages 
his schoolboy days began. 



CHAPTER II 

SCHOOL DAYS 

Washington's first school was not mucli 
more than a hut in the woods, in charge of a 
schoolmaster who knew very little more than 
his pupils. In those days it was difficult to 
procure good teachers in Virginia, and the in- 
structor selected for this '' old field school," 
as it was called, was a man known as Hobby, 
who had been transported from England as a 
punishment for some minor offense against 
the laws. Such men were usually sold for a 
term of years to residents of the colonies, and 
Hobby was apparently bought by Washing- 
ton's father or one of his neighbors, who made 
him sexton of the local chapel and utilized his 
small store of knowledge for the benefit of the 
children. How much Washington learned 
from this queer schoolmaster is not positively 
known, but it is certain that he was soon 
taught to write, for he scrawled his name all 

7 



ON TIIK THAU. OF WASHINGTON 

over a volume of sermons when be was eight 
or nine years old, and that book, with his boy- 
ish signatures, can be seen to-day in one of the 
Boston libraries. Indeed, AYashington, like a 
great many other boys, was rather fond of 
scri])bling, and some of his books which have 
been preserved are said to be liberally adorned 
with pictures of birds, animals, people, and 
other drawings worthy of the most incorri- 
gible '* Goop." 

Hobby claimed in later years that his fa- 
mous pupil acquired the best of his education 
in the little cabin schoolhouse, but it is certain 
that the most valuable things the boy learned 
in those early years he owed to his father and 
mother. They brought him up strictly but 
sensibly, teaching him the importance of 
sharp ol^edience, manliness, courage, and 
honor, and otherwise laying the real founda- 
tions of his character ; but most of the stoi-ies 
concerning his boyhood, such as the one about 
the cherry tree and the hatchet, are sheer non- 
sense. For many years his family had occu- 
pied a prominent place in Virginia, and ^Ir. 
and Mrs. AVashington took a proper pride in 
training theii- cliildren to uphold its ])est ti'a- 
ditions, and in this they succeeded. Unfor- 

8* 



5^*' ^i^SttsiJ'Jf^j*'*-'*^ 




^^^' 



~TWW 



SUFFICHENCY ^ 

t* ^•SStandhg^ Revelation m General, ^ 
aW^'V vi^^^^^/^'^nd of the /S/>^:>>^'-'i— ^ 
••^\\ r<S<rrJbf» JK. E V E L A T I o N /« Ednkular. V^ 

^\\ ^§Hw^ BOTH ^^OjA.i^c4V^f^ 

f \ ■ msifo the Matter of it, and ^ 'l^. 
Thati^J ^ W ^E V E L A T ljC\|g^ 

:/?;?(?/ Reafonably be Defirecl, ^«^ ^BS^ 

iVould! Prohdblj he UnfuccefsfuL yi^'iiV;!^ 

' ■'-■:<.v3&''^ 






In Eight S E R 




Preach *d in the -^^JHfiiJA^ 

; N CATHE-DRAL-6Hu'kcTT6T^^«/;|^|S^ 



At the LECTURE Founded by .the: j 



:; , ,. JBy OFSPKJNO^ .Late Lord Bilhopfof E ^#*|^^ 




EARLIEST-KNOWN SIGNATURES OF WASHINGTON SCRAWLED AT THE 
AGE OF ABOUT EIGHT ACROSS THE FLY LEAF OF A BOOK OF 
SERMONS. 

(From the original in possession of the Boston Athenseum.) 



SCHOOL DAYS 

tunately for Washington his father died when 
he was only eleven, but his mother proved a 
wise friend and counselor, and shortly after 
her husband's death she sent him to an excel- 
lent school kept by a Mr. Williams near 
" Wakefield." 

It was not books or book learning, how- 
ever, that made the deepest impression upon 
the maturing mind of the boy, but rather his 
association with his half-brothers, Augustine 
and Lawrence. Up to this time he had seen 
very little of these young men, for they had 
been at school in England for several years, 
and after their return the elder, Lawrence, 
had been made a captain in the English army 
and had gone to the West Indies, where he had 
taken an active part in the campaign against 
the Spaniards, while Augustine had settled as 
a planter on the " Wakefield " farm. After 
his father's death, however, Washington was 
constantly in their company, and the two 
brothers took a great fancy to him. He was 
then a bright, promising lad, rather large for 
his age, fond of all outdoor games, and an ex- 
ceptionally good horseman. Moreover, he was 
a good shot, a daring huntsman, and a keen 
woodsman, ready for any sort of sport or 

11 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

adveiitiii'e, and it is no wonder that Lawrence 
and Augustine Washington took delight in his 
conipanionsliip. Both of them were educated, 
honorable men who had seen more of the world 
than most Virginians, and it was fortunate for 
Washington that he had their guidance and 
advice at this period of his career. Doul)tless 
they were proud of his manly accomplish- 
ments and encouraged them, but they also 
showed him that he was expected to l^e some- 
thing better than a horse trainer or a hunter, 
and set him an excellent example of useful 
work and decent living. 

Captain Lawrence Washington exerted a 
particularly strong intluence in molding his 
young kinsman into a gentleman, and some of 
the happiest hours that the lad ever knew were 
passed at the plantation on Hunting Creek, 
which Lawrence had inherited from his 
father, and which he had named " Mount 
Vernon " in honor of Admiral Vernon with 
whom he had served in the Spanish war. 
Here Washington became acquainted with 
many of his brother's comrades in arms, and 
here he frequently met officers of the Eoyal 
Navy and of the big merchant ships which 
sailed into the Potomac, and listened to many 

12 









i vi/Atui^y<-»^in'n' /» iJOT^r-^r'-'^riJ^C^aO'maY-an^ij^Ao. /una... 

r n-t/rcAitf orr- Jla^o O^jfora t.n^sr ra.ctja7t.o Ztt/rn XLfw r.^^' /'T^Ss^ 




'^ij^/.'^...i: ,ry,^A.or/<r err 'Cryi.„yt/c9r, '"%*'^^ % 

i:S^^:i — ^.-7^- ... . , - in il 



PAGK OK AN EXEHCISE BOOK, iSUOWINO SOME OF THE "RULES OF 
civility" ^\TtITTEN BY WASHINGTON FROM DICTATION IN 
.SCHOOL. 

(From till" oMKiiial in the Department of State.) 



SCHOOL DAYS 

a story of adventure on land and sea. Under 
such circumstances it is not at all surprising 
that he soon began to think he would like to be 
a sailor, and had his mother not interfered 
he would certainly have gone to sea at the age 
of fourteen, for Captain Lawrence encour- 
aged the idea and actually took some steps to 
procure him a suitable commission. Fortu- 
nately, however, Mrs. Washington, whose 
brother had written her that the career of a 
sailor was not fit for any promising boy, 
promptly forbade the plan, and her son re- 
turned to her at the " Ferry Farm " to finish 
his schooling under a Fredericksburg clergy- 
man named James Marye, who taught him 
a little Latin and generally improved his 
education. 

In the Rev. Mr. Marye 's library was a 
curious old French book and an English trans- 
lation of the same, and from these volumes he 
used to dictate to his pupils, who wrote down 
what was read to them. In this way Washing- 
ton filled a small exercise book with a number 
of rules entitled ^' Rules of Civility and De- 
cent Behavior in Company and Conversation," 
and these rules, just as he wrote them, can be 

seen to-day in the State Department at the 

15 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

national capital. Sonic people have supposed 
that Washington invented those rules, but no 
natural, wholesome boy, such as he was, would 
ever have spent his time in this way. He 
wrote them as part of his school work and he 
did it very neatly, but the only original thing 
about them was his spelling, which would to- 
day be regarded as rather poor for a boy of 
fourteen, but which was not bad for those 
days, w^hen dictionaries were practically un- 
known, and even the schoolbooks themselves 
were frequentl}^ misspelled. Perhaps the 
'' Rules of Civility " helped to impress some 
of the elements of good manners on his mind, 
but they did not make him courteous or gen- 
erous or considerate of others. Those quali- 
ties are not learned from copybooks. He ac- 
quired them, like any other manly-spirited 
boy of his age, from associating with culti- 
vated men and women, and having sense 
enough to miderstand what it is that makes a 
gentleman worthy of the name. Good man- 
ners thus became a ha])it with him just as nat- 
ural as breathing, and in somewhat the same 
way he acquired the liabits of neatness and 
thoroughness. 

Washington was noithei- a student, nor a 



'ao'f^ 



WcLM^Vt^rt^^ly^^^^ryt/ 



THE 

poung fl^an'5 Companion: 

OR. ,/7A2. 

Arithemetick made Eafy / / 
WITH 
Plain Dire£Vions for a Young Man to attain to 

Read and Write trae Englijh, wilh Copies in Veifc 
for a Writing School, Indiding cf Letters lo Fnendj, 
Porim for making Bills, Bonds, Releafes Wills, ifc. 
LIKEWISE, 
Eafy Rules for the Meafuring of Board and 

Timber, by the Carpenter's Plain- Rule, and by Frao 
lions; with Tables for fuch as have not learned 
Arithmetick: And to compute the ChArge of Build- 
ing a Houfe or any Part theieof. 

Alfo Diref^ions for Meafuring, Guaging, and 

Plotting of Land by Gurtleri Chains and taking heights 
and diftanocs by the Quadrant and Triangle. The Ufe 
of Gitfiifr'i Line in Meafuring Globes, Bulleu, Wallt, 
Oanes, Spire Steeples, and Barrels-. With the Art of 
Dialling, and Colouring of Work within and with- 
out- Doors, Djra^ions for Dying of StufEs. C7c. 

Together with a Map of the Globe of the Earth 

and Water; and Coftrnicuji Defcription of the vifible 
World. Alfo a Map of England; and to know which 
are Cities, and their Diftance from Lomltn- 

Choice Monthly Obfervations for Gaixiening 

Planting, Grafting, Inoculating Fruit-Trees, and th« 
bcft Time to Prune thcmi and the making Wine 
of Fruit-. With experienc'd Medicines for the Poor. 
An Account of CttrhTuies in London «/i</ Weftminfter. 



Written by IV. Mather, in a plain an eafy Stile, that a 
a young Man may attain the fame without a Tutor. 



The Thirteenth Edition; With TnjtnH AJditions^nd Altnati- 
ons, ef[>t daily of th t Arithmetick, to the "Modtm Method. 
London : Prftited for S. Clarke, the Comer of Ex<hangi- 
jilUj, ntxX B'trthin Lane, 1717. 



FLY LEAK OF ONE OF WASHINGTON'S SCHOOL BOOKS, SHOWING HIS 

BIGNATUUE AT THE AGE OF TEN. 

(From the collection of George Arthur Pliinplon, i:si4.) 



The Toung Mans Companion. 77 



Eaf) Copies to Write b^» 




COPY OF PENMANSHIP BY WHICH WASHINGTON'S HANDWRITING 
WAS FORMED. 

(From the collection of George Arthur Plimpton, Esq.) 



SCHOOL DAYS 

scholar, nor a solemn '' old man " of a boy 
who posed as a pattern in any way. He was a 
lively, quick-tempered, companionable young- 
ster who wrestled with the boys and romped 
with the girls, but had an abundance of good, 
hard, common sense constantly at his com- 
mand. His schoolmates quickly realized this 
and he was frequently selected to decide dis- 
putes, not as an outsider, but as a fellow who 
could be serious when occasion required and 
was known to play fairly and squarely at 
every sort of sport. 

But though he was not particularly stu- 
dious, Washington could work as hard as he 
could play, and he had gumption enough to 
know that if a thing is worth doing it is 
worth doing well. One of his schoolbooks, 
called ^' The Young Man's Companion," is 
still in existence, and from its exercises any- 
one can see where he acquired his good, clear 
handwriting, and how faithfully he stuck to 
its figures and accounts until he trained him- 
self to exactness and order. There were~ 
plenty of boys in Virginia who were quite as 
well educated and promising as he was at the 
age of sixteen, but the little he had learned 
from books he had learned thoroughly. Cer- / 

21 



ON THE TRAII. OF WASHINGTON 

taiiily, if he had been asked at tlie close of his\ 
school days what he could do to earn his own \ 
liviiij^, lie would not have had to hesitate for 1 
an answer. He could write a good hand, figure 
correctly and neatly, keep simple accounts, and / 
make an acceptable survey of land. 



CHAPTER III 

SURVEYING AND SPORTSMANSHIP 

Land surveying, or the art of measuiing 
land, was one of the many things taught in 
** The Young Man's Companion," and Wash- 
ington must have been under fourteen when 
he began applying its rules, for at that age he 
made a rough drawing of the hills about 
Mount Vernon, showing the dimensions of 
some of the fields, and this early specimen of 
his skill can still be seen in the Department of 
State. It was fascinating work for a boy who 
was fond of outdoor life, for most of it had to 
be done in the open air, and it was interesting 
to discover and mark the boundaries of the 
plantation with the aid of the surveying in- 
struments. Moreover, it promised to fit him 
for earning his own living, as Virginia lay at 
the very edge of the wilderness in those days 
and very few landowners knew where their 
property began or ended. This was not of 

23 



ON THE T1{A1L OF WASHINGTON 

imicli iiiiportaiieo when there were veiy few 
houses or peopU\ Ijut as the number of settlers 
increased, every one was anxious to know 
where to put up his fences. There was, there- 
fore, plenty of \vork for good surveyors, and 
it was this prospect that encoui-aged AYash- 
ington to begin preparing himself for the pro- 
fession. Indeed, it was highly necessary for 
him to make an early start at earning his liv- 
ing, for although his father had owned a great 
many acres of land and had provided that the 
" Ferry Farm " should become his when he 
was twenty-one, the property was not valu- 
able, and his mother and younger brothers and 
sisters w^ere to some extent dependent upon it 
for their support. 

Perhaps the idea that he should become a 
surveyor originated with his elder brothers, 
but it is not at all unlikely that the suggestion 
came from a somewhat peculiar old gentleman 
who was a constant visitor at Lawrence Wash- 
ington 's house and owTied great tracts of land 
near Mount Vernon. This gentleman was 
Loi'd Thcnnas Fairfax, a rather lonely old 
bachelor, who had come from England to ex- 
amine his \'irginia estates and had gi'own to 
like the country so well that he had remained 

24 




SURVEY OF MOUNT VERNON MADE BY WASHINGTON WHEN ABOUT 
FOURTEEN. 

(From the original in tlie Department of State.) 



SURVEYING AND SPORTSMANSHIP 

there, delighting in the freedom and solitude 
of the woods. At times, however, the life must 
have been a little too solitary for a man who 
had been educated at Oxford University and 
had seen service in the army and moved in the 
best society in London, and it is no wonder 
that he made the most of his hospitable neigh- 
bors. Washington was still at school in Fred- 
ericksburg when he first met this gentleman, 
but he spent most of his spare time at his 
brother's house, and Lord Fairfax, finding 
him to be a well-mannered, modest lad who 
could back any sort of horse and ride over 
any sort of country, often invited him to go 
hunting, and from that time on their friend- 
ship steadily increased. 

Fox hunting was almost a passion with 
Lord Fairfax, and although he was then fully 
sixty years old, few men in the country could 
ride harder or straighter than he, but he soon 
found that Washington could follow wherever 
he led. Day after day the old nobleman, in 
his black-velvet cap, green coat, buckskin 
breeches, and top boots, would take to the sad- 
dle, surrounded by his hounds, and the longer 
the chase and the more difficult the country, 
the better he enjoyed the sport. Washing-ton 

27 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

fully shared the veteran's enthusiasm, and 
many a run they made together, following the 
dogs over ditches and fences wherever their 
horses could follow the trail, and it was dur- 
ing these hours in the saddle that Lord Fair- 
fax discovered what sort of fellow^ his young 
companion was. Probably he knew that a 
man shows his true character more plainly 
during a day in the field or while playing some 
game than at any other time. If he is boast- 
ful or selfish or tricky, he cannot conceal it 
then, and if he is modest, generous, and hon- 
orable, that will soon appear. Thus, all un- 
consciously, Washington demonstrated, not 
merely that he was a skillful horseman, but 
that he had in him the makings of a first-class 
man, for he never stooped to an unsportsman- 
like action, never bragged, very seldom talked 
about himself, and was evidently anxious to 
succeed at his chosen profession/ This, in 
time, led Lord Fairfax to invite him to use his 
library — one of the few available collections 
of books in Virginia — and to encourage him to 
read English history and The Spectator, a 
famous magazine for which his host had 
occasionally written; and a diary which the 
boy kept of how and where he spent his time, 

28 



SURVEYING AND SPORTSMANSHIP 

shows that he availed himself of these privi- 
leges. 

Meanwhile, he was not only attending 
school, but was gaining practical experience 
in surveying under Mr. James Genu, the li- 
censed surveyor of Westmoreland County, 
and many of that official's surveys which are 
still in existence are written in Washington's 
neat, businesslike hand. Indeed, he showed 
such a keen interest in this work that when 
Lord Fairfax decided to learn the extent of 
his lands beyond the Blue Ridge, he offered 
his yomig himting companion a chance to 
prove what he was worth as a surveyor, and 
with this opportunity Washington's school 
days ended. 



/ 



CHAPTER IV 

A FIRST OPPORTUNITY 

It is not to be supposed that Washington 
was at this time a skilled surveyor, or that 
Lord Fairfax offered him emplo}Tiient be- 
cause he had displayed unusual talents of any 
kind. Nothing could be further from the 
truth. He was a cheerful, well-mannered, 
l^leasant fellow, who had had the advantage of 
good home training, but he was by no means 
])rilliant. The average intelligent boy of six- 
teen was certainly his equal and possibly his 
superior in mental attainments. He had, how- 
ever, developed more systematic habits than 
most boys of his age and had shown himself 
unmistakably in earnest about his work, so 
tliat when a chance came to him, as it does to 
every one sooner or later, he was ready to 
grasp it. He did not have '* lurk " — he had a 
well-earned opportunity and sufficient sense 
to make the most of it. 

30 



A FIRST OPPORTUNITY 

The task of surveying the Fairfax estate 
beyond the Bhie Ridge was, of course, far too 
important and difficult to be wholly intrusted 
to a boy of his years, and the party to which he 
was assigned included Mr. Genu, his former in- 
structor in surveying. Colonel George Fairfax, 
one of Lord Fairfax's relatives, and several 
men to assist in the minor duties of the work. 
Before they could start on the trip, however, 
it was necessary to make careful preparations, 
for the estate lay in a most inaccessible wil- 
derness. Pack horses, provisions, tents, and 
camp supplies of all kinds were therefore pro- 
cured and the whole outfit sorted into loads 
adjusted to the strength of each animal. All 
this consumed several days, and it was March 
11, 1748, only a few weeks after Wash- 
ington's sixteenth birthday, when the little 
group of horsemen headed for the mountains. 

It w^as still early enough in the Spring for 
cold weather, and the melting ice and snow had 
swollen the rivers and brooks to rushing tor- 
rents, which could be crossed only by swim- 
ming the horses. This was no new experience 
to Washington, for he was well accustomed to 
riding over rough country in every sort of 
weather, but all the camping he had previ- 

31 



X 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

ously done was luxurious compared to the real 
life ill the woods upon which he now entered. 
Indeed, he soon found that he was not as good 
a woodsman as the rest of the party, for he 
tried to improve on their accommodations 
early in the trip by seeking shelter in a set- 
tler's cabin, with the result that he was al- 
most eaten alive with vermin, and laughingly 
resolved to follow his companions' example 
thereafter and trust to the open air and a fire. 
On another occasion his inexperience proved 
much more serious, for during one of the tem- 
porary encampments he made a bed for him- 
self on a pile of straw so close to the fire that 
a spark set it ablaze while he was sleeping, and 
he might have been severely injured had not 
one of the men awakened in time to pull him 
out of danger. 

^ Bad roads and worse weather made the 
traveling slow and the work exceedingly la- 
borious, and at the close of two weeks of the 
roughest living which Washington had ever 
known the company was still far from their 
journey's end. At this point they encoun- 
tered a band of Indians who had evidently been 
on the warpath, for they exhibited a scalp and 
l^erformed a wild war dance for the surveyors' 

32 



A FIRST OPPORTUNITY 

benefit. Washington wrote a careful and 
rather humorous description of this strange 
performance in a memorandum book, wherein 
he noted everything of interest which oc- 
curred on the trip, and the knowledge of In- 
dian manners and customs which he gained 
proved exceedingly useful before he was much 
older. Two whole days were passed in the 
company of the red men and then the trav- 
elers again plunged into the wilderness for 
another week's hard riding. At last, however, 
they reached their destination and, pitching 
their tents, settled down to the real business 
of the trip. 

All surveyors in those days worked with 
three assistants, two laiown as chainmen, be- 
cause they carried the measuring chain, and 
the third called the poleman or pilot, because 
he carried the pole by which the instruments 
were sighted; and day after day Washington 
was busily employed with these men, some- 
times under Mr. Genu's direction, but often 
without supervision of any kind. His sur- 
veying duties did not occupy all his time, how- 
ever, for the horses had to be pastured and 
watered, and there was always much work to 
be done each day about the camp, such as set- 
4 33 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTOX 

ting up and taking do\\ai the tents, cutting 
wood, building fii-es, and carrying water. 
Each man was his o^vn cook, ])roiling whatever 
meat there was at the end of sticks held over 
the fire, but there was no washing of dishes 
or plates, for large chips of wood served in 
that capacity, and hunting knives were the 
only table utensils. For food the surveyors 
soon had to rely on their guns, and several wild 
turkeys were shot, one weighing as much as 
twenty pounds, but Washington's diary re- 
cords that he missed two shots at these birds 
in one morning, which he might well do and 
still be a fair marksman, as anyone can testify 
who has flushed a wild turkey in the forests 
and heard the terrifying whirr of its mighty 
wings. 

Of course, as the surveyors were con- 
stantly moving forward, no very permanent 
camps could be erected, and the weather fre- 
quently made the living very uncomfortable, 
for the tents were blown do^^^l again and again 
during storms, and their occupants obliged to 
sleep on the gi'ound. These mishaps often 
caused heavy work for everybod^y, but Wash- 
ington took it all good-naturedly, invariably 
making the best of things and never trying to 

34 




WASHINGTON WORKING AS A SURVEYOR AT SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE. 

March-April, 1748. 



A FIRST OPPORTUNITY 

shirk. A boy of different character, finding 
himself a novice among the backwoodsmen 
with whom much of his work was done, might 
perhaps have tried to win their regard and 
show himself a man by imitating and outdoing 
them in coarse manners and speech. But 
Washington, young as he was, had too much 
sense and self-respect for that. He knew that 
the older and rougher men would })egin by 
laughing at him and end by despising him if 
he tried to become one of them by any such 
means. He therefore watched their methods 
of work and imitated all the woodcraft they 
displayed, but wisely refrained from copying 
their manners or coarsening his mind. As a 
result, they liked and respected him, and 
never for a moment did anyone treat him 
otherwise than as an equal. 

Despite the hardships and discomforts of 
the life, Washington enjoyed it keenly. The 
silence and the beauty of the vast, uninhab- 
ited regions through which he worked, the 
struggling little settlements of German emi- 
grants upon which he occasionally stumbled, 
the constantly changing scene, the difficulties, 
dangers, and incidents of each day, interested 
him intensely, and the knowledge that he was 

35 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

proving his ability to make an independent 
living added zest to his enjoyment. Thus at 
the end of four weeks, when the survey was 
completed, it was no longer an untried boy 
who journeyed back over the mountains, 
but a man who had done his share of a man's 
work and had shown that he could be trusted 
to make his way in the world. 



CHAPTER V 

EARNING A LIVING 

From the moment Washington handed his 
report to his employer, his career as a sur- 
veyor v^as assured, for Lord Fairfax was so 
well pleased with his work that the next year 
he helped him procure a license conferring 
authority upon his surveys, and practically 
started him in business. Thus, at seventeen, 
Washington was supporting himself, earning 
from seven dollars a day upward, whenever 
the weather permitted him to work, and he 
was often kept so steadily employed that for 
weeks at a time he never slept in a bed, but 
passed night after night rolled up in a bear- 
skin under the open sky. Three years of this 
life not only made him as skilled a woodsman 
as ever trod the forests, but gave him a repu- 
tation as a surveyor which was second to none. 
Indeed, it is said that no error was ever found 
in any of his surveys, and that some of them 

37 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

are still the authority for certain boundaries 
in Virginia. This was not due to any extraor- 
dinary al)ility on his part. It was simply thei 
result of having learned to do one thing at a 
time in an orderly instead of a slipshod man- 
ner. It is merely another proof that genius 
is frequently nothing more or less than " a 
capacity for taking infinite pains." 

But though he paid strict attention to his 
professional duties, Washington evidently did 
not intend to devote his life to surveying, for 
as he rode through the country day after day 
he looked about for good farm land, and when- 
ever an opportunity presented itself he either 
invested his earnings in what he thought de- 
sirable property with the idea of some day be- 
coming a planter, or noted its location with a 
view to its future purchase. In this way he 
soon became the owner of considerable prop- 
erty, and the judgment he displayed in select- 
ing it showed that he was not only a keen 
observer, but a man of some imagination, for 
it required no little faith to perceive the i)os- 
sibilities of the wild lands of Virginia in those 
early years. 

In the intervals of his work, the l)us}^ sur- 
veyor sometimes visited his friend, Lord Fair- 

38 



EARNING A LIVING 

fax, who had built a hunting lodge on his es- 
tate in the Blue Ridge, but more frequently he 
returned to his brother Lawrence's house, 
where he took fencing lessons with Jacob Van 
Braam, a veteran of the Spanish campaign, 
and received some little military instruction 
from an officer named Adjutant Muse. With 
both of these men he was to have strange ex- 
periences before many years had passed, but 
it was with no very definite idea of becoming 
a soldier that he first placed himself under 
their instruction. It is highly probable, how- 
ever, that Lawrence Washington, who was 
active in what was known as the Ohio Com- 
pany, desired his young kinsman to adopt the 
profession of arms, for he plainly foresaw 
that there would soon be a clash between the 
French and English unless one or the other 
surrendered its claim to the land in which the 
Ohio Company was interested. Doubtless it 
was this belief and his own failing health that 
caused him to resign his own command in the 
Colonial army and secure the post of military 
inspector, with the rank of major and a salary 
of a hundred and fifty pounds a year for his 
young brother, then nineteen years of age. In 
any case it was this action which first brought 

39 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

\Vasliinj»t()ii in touch with military affairs in 
Virginia and largely determined his future 
career. 

Shortly after this important event, Law- 
rence became alarmingly ill and Washing- 
ton immediately dropped all business to ac- 
company him to the Island of Barbadoes in 
the West Indies, where the doctors thought 
the climate might effect his cure. This was 
the first time the younger man had been out 
of Virginia, and the diary which he kept of 

! his travels was neither egotistic nor sentimen- 
tal, as many diaries are, but a brief memoran- 
dmn showing that he saw all that was w^orth 

.^seeing and understood what he saw. The trip 
was unfortunate almost from the very start, 
for Lawrence's health did not improve and 
Washington soon contracted smallpox, from 
which he did not recover for several wrecks, 
and of which he bore the marks all the rest of 
his life. Moreover, the return voyage was 
made in the wildest sort of weather, which 
well-nigh wrecked the ship and gave Washing- 
ton an experience in seasickness and the per- 
ils of the deep w^hich probably made him 
thankful that he had not been allowed to ])e- 
conic a sailor. 

40 



EARNING A LIVING 

A few months after liis return to Mount 
Vernon, Lawrence died, leaving Washington 
as the guardian of his daughter and intrust- 
ing all his property and affairs to his care. 
Under these circumstances it was no longer 
possible for the young surveyor to continue his 
chosen career, but he at once accepted the re- 
sponsibility which had been thrust upon him 
and set to work at the management of his 
brother's plantation, at the same time helping 
his mother in the management of hers. All 
this imposed a heavy burden on a boy not yet 
twenty-one, and it is not at all surprising that 
he soon appeared a good deal older than his 
years. Certainly he must have made an un- 
usual impression on the then Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor of Virginia, for in his twenty-second 
year that official selected him for an impor- 
tant and dangerous mission which was des- 
tined to change the entire course of his life. 



CHAPTER VI 

A DANGEROUS MISSION 

Washixgtox's ])i-otli(M' had good reason 
for expecting that England and France woidd 
soon be at war, for both countries claimed the 
same lands on the Ohio River and each was 
sending settlers there and trying to prevent 
the other from trading with the Indians. In- 
deed, it was to secure this profita])le business 
that Lawrence Washington, Governor Din- 
widdle, and others had formed the Ohio Com- 
pany, and obtained permission from the Eng- 
lish Government to take possession of the 
region in dispute and establish trading posts. 
The French, however, had no intention of al- 
lowing them to do anything of the sort, and 
they promptly sent soldiers from Canada to 
build a fort on the Ohio River and di'ivo the 
English settlers away. All this was done so 
quietly that for a time no one in Virginia 
know exactly what was ha]"»pening, but when 

42 



A DANGEROUS MISSION 

rumors began to be heard that the Frenchmen 
had not only seized the lands, but were trymg 
to persuade the Indians to help them against 
the English, Governor Dinwiddle sent an offi- 
cer to find out where the fort was being 
erected and to demand an explanation from 
the French authorities. The man to whom 
this duty was intrusted, however, speedily re- 
turned, reporting that he had not got within 
miles of the fort, but had heard such terrify- 
ing stories of what the French and their In- 
dian allies would do to any Englishman found 
in that part of the country, that he had has- 
tened back to Virginia with all possible speed. 
There was nothing for the Governor to do, 
therefore, but dismiss this cautious gentleman 
and appoint some less timid person in his 
place. It was by no means easy, however, to 
discover just the right man, for winter was 
almost at hand, and only a trained woodsman 
could find his way through the forests at that 
time of year. Moreover, it was necessary that 
the messenger should understand something 
of military matters, be able to write a correct 
report of all he saw and did, and know how to 
make friends with the Indians. Finally, some 
one recommended that the young Major who 

43 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

had recently been appointed one of the four 
Adjutant Generals of Virj»inia be given a 
chance to win his spurs, and the Governor 
promptly acted upon the suggestion. lie not 
only knew Washington in his official capacity, 
but had met him through his l^rother Law- 
rence and the Fairfaxes, and what he had 
learned of his qualities probably made him 
sure that the work could be safely intrusted 
to his hands. Accordingly, late in October, 
1753, he gave the young officer a letter ad- 
dressed to the Commandant of the French 
forces on the Ohio, with instructions to deliver 
it and return with an answer at the earliest 
possible moment, taking care to let the In- 
dians understand that the English were their 
friends. 

Washington had had little or no military 
experience up to this time, but he realized that 
the first duty of a soldier is prompt obedience, 
and the very day he received his oi-ders he 
began making ready for his perilous task. He 
knew far too much about traveling in the wil- 
derness, however, to rush in without careful 
preparations, and almost the first thing he 
did was to engage his old fencing master, Ja- 
cob Van Braani, and Clii'istopher (Jist, one 

44 



A DANGEROUS MISSION 

of the best guides in Virginia, to accompany 
him on the trip. With the assistance of these 
men he then proceeded to collect a good sup- 
ply of horses, guns, ammunition, and provi- 
sions, and selected four experienced woods- 
men to take care of the animals and baggage 
and act as servants. All this occupied many 
days, and before the party fairly started on 
their journey the ground was covered with 
deep snow and the streams had become far 
too high to cross without risking their packs. 
It was necessary, therefore, to divide the 
party, some of them taking the horses by 
roundabout trails which avoided the rivers, 
while others sailed down them in a canoe, and 
it was only after a week of the hardest sort of 
work that the travelers reached the Ohio. 
Even then they were still far from the French 
fort, but it was at this point that the first mes- 
senger had been frightened into beating a re- 
treat, and Washington was fully aware of the 
perils which confronted him. He knew that 
the surrounding country was almost entirely 
inhabited by Indians, and if it should be true 
that the French had succeeded in persuading 
them to take up the hatchet against the Eng- 
lish, there was every reason to believe that 

' 45 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

they would make short work of him and his 
little party. It was now, however, that his ex- 
perience with the red men ])egan to prove of 
use, for he immediately sought out Shingiss, 
one of the most dangerous of the Delaware 
chiefs in the neighborhood, and paid him a 
visit of ceremony, at the same time inviting 
him to a council of chiefs to be held within a 
few days at Logstown. A man with less 
knowledge of the Indians might have treated 
them as mere painted savages, but Washing- 
ton knew that their leaders were men of great 
dignity and considerable intelligence, who 
would have to ])e approached with marked re- 
spect and politeness, if he was to win them to 
his side. With this idea he sought the advice 
of John Davison, one of his party, who spoke 
several Indian languages, and through him he 
communicated with a munber of the sachems 
or chiefs of the tribes known as the Six Na- 
tions, among whom was the powerful vSeneca 
chief called the Half King. This important 
personage was, however, absent at his hunting 
cabin, and a lunner was sent after him to in- 
f()]-ni liiiii (»r ^^'ashington^s arrival and of his 
wish to speak with him. 

In the meantime the young officer learned 
46 



A DANGEROUS MISSION 

all lie could of the existing situation from 
some French deserters who came into his 
camp, and after noting their stories in a 
memorandum book, he called upon the Half 
King and invited him to a private conference, 
where he learned that the French Comman- 
dant had threatened to make war on the 
Indians if they did not side with his country- 
men. Thereupon Washington called all the 
chiefs together and made a friendly speech, 
telling them that he had come to let them 
know that the English would protect them, 
and ended by asking their assistance in reach- 
ing the French fort that he might deliver a 
message to its Commandant. All this was 
translated to the red men and accompanied by 
gifts consisting of belts of wampum, accord- 
ing to the Indian custom, which pleased the 
chiefs, and addressing him by the Indian 
name *' Conotocarius," the Half King prom- 
ised Washington to side with the English 
against the French and to give him a guard of 
honor to accompany him on his mission to the 
fort. For the moment it must have surprised 
Washington to hear himself called ** Conoto- 
carius," which means *' the devourer of vil- 
lages," but the Indians, whose memory was 

47 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

extraoi'diiiary, pi'obably associated his name 
with that of an ancestor of his, Colonel John 
AVashington, who, nearly a hundred years be- 
fore, had headed an expedition against the 
Susquehannocks and burned several of their 
villages. 

It was some days, however, before a start 
could be made, for the Half King insisted 
ujDon a great many ceremonies, and AYashing- 
ton was obliged to wait for fear of offending 
him. Finally, he was permitted to proceed, 
accompanied by the Half King and two other 
chiefs called Jeskakake and White Thunder, 
and after traveling seventy miles in bad 
Aveather the party arrived at the first French 
outpost which was found to be in charge of 
a captain. 

Here the Virginians were received with 
great politeness and invited to a supper where 
there was plenty to eat and more to drink, all 
of which was very agi'eeable after their weolcs 
of rough living in the woods. But Washing- 
ton had not taken his hard trip into the wil- 
derness merely to enjoy himself, and he ate 
and drank very moderately, quietly noting 
what his hosts said when the wine set them to 
boasting, and keeping his own head clear for 

48 



A DANGEROUS MISSION 

the work that lay before him. His Indian 
companions, however, were not so wise and he 
soon discovered that the Frenchmen were try- 
ing to win them from him by supplying them 
with liquor and telling them that the French 
and not the English were their true friends. 
Nevertheless, he managed to persuade them to 
resume their journey after a long delay, and 
finally arrived at the fort, where he delivered 
his letter and received one in reply. 

Then followed another hard struggle for 
the friendship of the Half King and the other 
chiefs, and so lavishly did the French enter- 
tain the red men that for a time it seemed as 
though the young Virginian would not be able 
to hold them to their promises. Still they ac- 
companied him when he started on his return 
journey, but when they again reached the 
French outpost nothing could persuade them 
to go farther. Washington, therefore, took 
leave of them and pushed resolutely home- 
ward, but his pack horses soon grew weak, and 
before they had proceeded far part of the bag- 
gage had to be carried on the riding horses, 
and even then the cavalcade could proceed 
only at a snail's pace through the heavy di'ifts 
of freezing snow. 

5 49 



ox tup: trail of Washington 

Finally, AVasliiii<Ttoii dotoriniiiod to mako 
the rest of the journey on foot and, e(piip})inf^ 
himself in Indian dress and shonlderiiic: a 
knapsack and <;un, he started off through ilie 
forest with Mr. Gist, little suspecting the dan- 
gers which lurked in his path. 



CHAPTER VII 

ADVENTURES IN A WILDERNESS 

It was the day after Christmas when 
Washington and his companion plunged into 
the forest, and the snow, which had brought 
the horses to a practical standstill, rendered 
rapid traveling impossible. Moreover, each 
man was encumbered by a heavy knapsack 
and a gun, and neither had had much experi- 
ence with snowshoes. Nevertheless, they man- 
aged to cover eighteen miles the first day and 
found lodging for the night at an Indian 
cabin. By this time Washington was foot- 
sore and weary, but early the next morning 
Mr. Gist and he pushed on again until they 
reached an Indian village known as Murder- 
ing To^vn, probably because of some massacre 
which had occurred there in former years. 

Here they met a party of French Indians, 
one of whom pretended to know Mr. Gist, 
called him by his Indian name, questioned him 

51 



ON THE TUAIL OF WASHINGTON 

as to where lie had come from and where he 
was going, and finally agreed to accompany 
the travelers and guide them to the nearest 
trail. Gist was extremely suspicious of this 
mysterious redskin, but as Washington wished 
to take the shortest possible route, it seemed 
best to accept his assistance, and the three 
started into the Avoods together, the Indian 
carrying Washington's i)ack. 

For eiglit or ten miles they traveled rap- 
idly, but the white men soon began to think 
their guide was leading them astray, and w^hen 
they proposed a halt he grew surly, declaring 
that they would be scalped if they stayed the 
night where they were, as hostile Indians 
were lurking in the woods. Doubtful as they 
w^ere of the redskin's honesty, the two Vir- 
ginians followed him a little farther and then 
stopped again, but the Indian tried to lure 
them onward by claiming they were so close 
to his cabin that the report of a gun could be 
heard from there. Once more the travelers 
advanced, but by this time their suspicions 
were thoroughly aroused and they soon re- 
fused to proceed another step, although the 
Indian protested that his hut was then so near 
that i\yn w]i<)()])s could l)o h(\'ii'd there. AVhile 

52 



ADVENTURES IN A WILDERNESS 

they were still deliberating what to do, how- 
ever, the pretended guide suddenly raised his 
gun, fired point-blank at them, and seeing that 
he had missed his aim, fled to the shelter of a 
tree, where he attempted to reload his weapon, 
but before he succeeded, his intended victims 
sprang upon him, and had Washington not in- 
terfered. Gist would have killed him on the 
spot. 

What to do with the fellow was a serious 
question, but it was at last decided to let him 
go, with the idea that he would make straight 
for the ambush where his friends were prob- 
ably waiting. Gist, therefore, pretended to 
believe that he had fired the gun as a signal and 
directed him to find his cabin and bring back 
some food, but the moment he disappeared in 
the forest, the travelers started in the oppo- 
site direction, and by desperate work man- 
aged to keep moving during the whole night. 
This gave them a good start, but both men 
realized that they would not be out of danger 
until they had water between them and their 
pursuers, so they made but few halts the next 
day, and dared not light a fire for fear the 
smoke would put the Indians on their trail. 
At last they reached the Alleghany River, but 

53 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

it was too deep to ford, and their only chance 
of crossing it was to build a raft. With des- 
perate haste, therefore, they set to work, and 
despite the fact that they had only one hatchet, 
they succeeded in cutting down a few trees, 
and binding them together, clambered aboard 
the logs and pushed out from the shore. 

The stream was swift and deep and filled 
with floating ice, and in trying to steady the 
clumsy craft with a pole, Washington was 
jerked overboard into about ten feet of freez- 
ing water, and he would have been drowaied 
had he not chmg to one of the raft logs. This 
"was not the end of their troubles, however, for 
the raft was now in midstream, and do what 
they could, the men were unable to drive it to 
either shore. Finally, it drifted near an is- 
land, which they managed to reach, and there 
they remained until the next morning, when 
the river was sufficiently frozen to allow them 
to cross it on the ice. By this time all ]\Ir. 
Gist's fingers had been frozen and some of his 
toes, and it was with gi'eat difficulty that the 
travelers forced their way through the woods 
to an Indian trader's cabin, where the}^ re- 
ceived shelter and refreshment. There they 
learned that a band of Ottawa Indians had 

54 



ADVENTURES IN A WILDERNESS 

recently killed and scalped a party of seven 
men and women, and congratulating them- 
selves on their escape, they concluded to pro- 
cure horses before again venturing into the 
forests. 

In the meantime Washington heard that 
the Queen of one of the neighboring Indian 
tribes had been offended because he had failed 
to visit her on his outward journey, and mind- 
ful of his instructions to make friends with 
the savages w^henever it was possible to do so, 
he sought her out and gave her a match coat 
and a bottle of rum, which latter gift, he noted 
in his diary, she thought much the better pres- 
ent of the two. Finally, the horses arrived 
and the travelers at once mounted and resumed 
their journey. Gist stopping at his home and 
Washington pressing steadily forward day 
after day, in the face of the worst possible 
weather, but making such slow progress, de- 
spite his best endeavors, that almost two 
weeks elapsed before he arrived at Colonel 
Fairfax's residence. 

One day's rest, however, served to put him 
in good condition and he immediately pro- 
ceeded to Williamsburg, where he arrived at 
the end of four days and delivered the French 

55 



ON THE TKAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Conimaiidant's letter to the Governor. This 
letter was practically a defiance of the English 
Government, and realizing that it meant war, 
Governor Dinwiddle directed the young oflfi- 
cer to make a written report of all he had seen 
and heard, and to have it ready within twenty- 
fonr hours. A less careful man might perhaps 
have been unal)lc to resi:)ond to this sudden de- 
mand, but AVashington's habit of keeping a 
diary now stood him in good stead and he 
straightway wrote a modest account of his ad- 
ventures, with such accurate and detailed in- 
fomiation concei'uiug the French fort and its 
garrison, the Indians, and the surrounding 
country, that it was printed and pu])lished as 
a governmental record. Indeed, all who read 
the document agreed that it was a remarkable 
performance for a man not yet twenty-two 
years of age, and within three months its 
autlior was made a Ijieutenant rolonol. 



CHAPTER VIII 

BAPTISM OF FIRE 

War had not yet been declared, bnt before 
lie obtained bis promotion Washington re- 
ceived orders to enlist a body of recruits and 
prepare them for active service in the field. 
He accordingly proceeded to enroll and equip 
as many men as possible, but he knew very lit- 
tle more about military matters than the pri- 
vates under his conmmnd, and all the delays 
and difficulties in procuring the necessary sup- 
plies sorely tried his patience. For a time, 
indeed, it seemed as though his hasty temper 
would prove a serious obstacle to his career, 
for he fretted and fumed over every petty an- 
noyance, and it was with the greatest difficulty 
that he learned the value of calmness and the 
art of making the best of things. Meanwhile, 
he received his commission as Lieutenant 
Colonel of a regiment commanded by Colonel 
Fry, with orders to march at once with his 
raw recruits to the relief of Captain Trent, 

57 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

who had boon sont to erect a fort on the Ohio, 
and on April 2, 1754, he again started into the 
wilderness at the head of about a hundred and 
fifty men. Once more his fencing master, Van 
Braam, accompanied him, this time as a lieu- 
tenant, but before the campaign ended he had 
good reason to regret that he had not left this 
old friend at home. 

Indeed, the whole expedition was unfortu- 
nate from the very start, for Captain Trent, 
w^ho had been intrusted with the building of 
the fort, was the same timid messenger who 
had been fi-ightened away from the Ohio only 
a few months earlier, and before the relief ex- 
pedition could reach him, the French captured 
his fort while he was absent from his post, and 
his men scampered toward home as fast as 
their legs could carry them. When this news 
reached him, Washington would have been 
full}^ justified in retreating with his handful 
of men, or in waiting whore he was for further 
orders, but he regarded the attack on the fort 
as a declaration of war and decided to push 
forwai'd and at least prepare the way for 
C'Olonel Fry and the rest of the regiment. 
This was, of coui-se, an extremely rash pro- 
ceeding, for the French were Iviiown to have 

58 



BAPTISM OF FIRE 

almost a thousand soldiers and Indians at 
tlieir command, and the entire Virginian force 
numbered less than two hundred inexperi- 
enced militia. But their commander longed 
for an opportunity to distinguish himself and 
was confident that he could retreat in time if 
the enemy attacked in too great force to be 
resisted. Accordingly, he informed Governor 
Dinwiddle of his intention to advance, and 
used every effort to induce the Half King and 
other chiefs of the Six Nations to come to his 
support. The Indians, however, moved very 
slowly, and so much time was wasted in col- 
lecting the necessary provisions and supplies 
for the little army, and so much dissatisfac- 
tion was felt concerning the officers' pay, that 
the ardent young Lieutenant Colonel worked 
himself into a perfect fever of indignation. 
Meanwhile, however, the Governor approved 
his plan of action, and encouraged by this and 
the prospects of being reenforced by some of 
his Indian friends, he pushed on to a place 
known as Great Meadows, which he thought 
" a charming field for an encounter." Here 
he built intrenchments, but when the Half 
King and some of the other chiefs arrived 
they brought only a handful of warriors with 

59 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

them, and there was every indication that the 
French were I'apidly advancing in overwhehn- 
ing nmnbers. By this time the campaign had 
histed ahnost tw^o months withont a shot ])eing 
fii'ed on either side, and when on the night of 
May 27, 1754, news was received that a party 
of Frenchmen had at last been seen only a 
few miles from his camp, Washington hnri'ied 
forward at the head of forty men with the idea 
of surprising and capturing them. 

The night was as black as pitch when the 
young commander and his company started 
into the forest and a heavy rain was falling, 
making it almost impossible to keep the ])lin(l 
ti'ail they were endeavoring to follow. Again 
and again they lost it and tumbled over one 
another in groping their way through the 
darkness, but by simrise they made a juncture 
wdth the Half King and a few other Indians, 
and before long their scouts located tlie 
French camp. Washington thereupon di- 
rected the Indians to advance on the left, 
while he closed in on the enemy from the 
right, and pushing forward at the head of his 
men, suddenly came upon the French, who in- 
stantly sprang to their arms and opened a 
]>risk fii'o. In fifteen minutes ten of tliem were 

60 



BAPTISM OF FIRE 

killed, one was wounded, twenty-one were 
f^aptured, and only one escaped. Among those 
killed was the commander, Jumonville, and 
when the news of his death reached the 
French, they denounced it as a murder, on the 
ground that he was merely a peaceful ambas- 
sador, although the papers found in his pos- 
session, and other facts, indicated that he was 
commanding an armed scouting party. Wash- 
ington sent his prisoners to Virginia, and, 
flushed with his little victory, foolishly wrote 
home that he had heard the bullets whistling, 
and that there was something charaiing in tlie 
sound, at the same time flattering himself 
that he would have no trouble in holding his 
own against the French. But before long he 
learned that overconfidence is almost always 
fatal to success — a lesson he never forgot. 

During all this time Colonel Fry, the com- 
mander of the regiment, had remained some 
little distance from the scene, and within a few 
days after the opening engagement he died, 
leaving Washington to his own resources, 
with very litle hope of being strongly reen- 
forced and every prospect of being attacked 
by the main body of the enemy. Nevertheless, 
the young commander actually moved for- 

61 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Avard, and in spite of the fact that his pro- 
visions were low and the Indians far from en- 
thusiastic, he hold his position imtil warned 
that an ovcrwhehning French force was ap- 
proaching to avenge what they called the 
'' murder of Jumonville." Then he fell back 
upon the Great Meadows, where he hastily 
erected a shelter w^hich he called "Fort Neces- 
sity,'^ but the enemy was already at his heels, 
and his famished men had scarcely recovered 
from their exhausting retreat before their pur- 
suers ojiened fire and received an answering 
.volley. For a whole day skirmishing con- 
tinued, 1)1 it by this time all Washington's 
Indian allies had disappeared. Major Muse, 
his old military instructor, began to show the 
white feather, and the half-starved men wore 
in no condition to defend themselves against 
the superior forces opposed to them. He, 
therefore, gladly welcomed the flag of truce 
which the French sent out, and accepted their 
proposition to retire from the foi*t with all 
the honors of war. 

The terms of sui-i'ondor wovo in l^^'i'onch, 
and as Washington could not read iliat lan- 
guage, he was obliged to rely on liis old fenc- 
ing teacher, Van Braam, to translate them for 

62 



BAPTISM OF FIRE 

him, and the veteran swordsman made a sorry 
mess of this, for the document was so worded 
as to make it appear that the English ad- 
mitted that Jumonville had been murdered, 
whereas Van Braam thought it merely stated 
that he had been killed. Blissfully ignorant of 
this trick, Washington started homeward the 
next morning with his flags flying and drums 
beating, but the French Indians threatened his 
men on their march, stole their horses, and 
destroyed their baggage, and it was a miser- 
able and exhausted party that at last reached 
Virginia. Here, however, no one blamed them 
for their defeat, and the government, exon- 
erating Washington for the error in the terms 
of surrender, gave a vote of thanks to him and 
his officers, except Major Muse, for the cour- 
age with which they had stuck to their posts 
without support for more than three months. 
Nevertheless, the young commander was not 
deceived by this generous treatment and re- 
fused to pose as a hero. He knew that he had 
been rash to the point of folly, and had been 
guilty of some rather childish boasting, but 
before another year had passed he had an op- 
portunity of showing what he had leai'ned 
from humiliation and defeat. 

63 



CHAPTER IX 

THE BATTLE OF MONONGAHELA 

Up to this time the campaign against the 
French had been conducted entirel}^ by the 
colonies, but now the British Government de- 
cided to assume control of the war, and several 
regiments were sent from England to Vii'- 
ginia. At the very outset, however, the 
authorities made a serious blunder, for they 
issued an order that the British should out- 
rank the Virginian officers on all occasions, 
and when Washington discovered that this 
practically placed him under the orders of 
men of a lower grade he innnediately resigned 
and retired to his farm at Mount Vernon. 
Nevertheless, he was eager to see further serv- 
ice in the field, and when General Braddock, 
the British commander, offered to make him 
one of his staff officers, with the rank of 
Colonel, and allow him to serve as a volunteer, 
he promptly accepted the invitation. 

64 



THE BATTLE OF MONONGAIIELA 

General Braddock was an experienced sol- 
dier, with a good, if not a great, military repu- 
tation, but he was entirely ignorant of the 
country in which his campaign would have to 
be fought and he had a supreme contempt for 
the Virginian and all other provincial troops. 
He had heard enough of Washington, how- 
ever, to think that his experience might be 
useful, and for this reason he made it possible 
for him to join the army without loss of rank 
or dignity. The Virginian Colonel was then 
a powerfully built young fellow of about 
twenty-three, over six feet tall, with a grave 
but pleasant face, rather shy and awkward in 
the presence of women, but entirely at his ease 
in the company of men, and filled with enthu- 
siasm for military life. A different type of 
man might easily have been regarded as an in- 
truder by the British officers, but they soon 
discovered that he never talked about what he 
had seen or done, but was exceedingly anxious 
to learn everji:hing they could teach him, and 
before long he was a favorite in the mess- 
room, and as nearly in the confidence of the 
General as any member of his staff. Hitherto, 
the only soldiers he had commanded had been 
backwoodsmen, clad in every sort of costume, 
6 65 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

with little or no idea of drill or discipline, and 
the sight of the British regnlars, with their 
smart uniforms and precise military move- 
ments, tilled liim with admiiation as he 
watched them on parade. Indeed, for a while, 
he fully shared General Braddoek's opinion 
that neither the French nor the Indians could 
long stand against such a splendid veteran 
force, and his faith in the troops w^as only 
equaled b}^ his confidence in their commander. 
The moment the campaign actually opened, 
however, the new staff officer was far less fa- 
vorably impressed. General Braddock had 
his own ideas of advancing into the wilder- 
ness, and the route he was persuaded to adopt, 
and the order of march he prescribed, showed 
an alarming ignorance of what la,y before him, 
and a foolish disregard of the best advice. 
Nevertheless, Washington watched the army 
depart with more anmsement than dismay, 
thinking that the road which had been chosen 
for it and the absurd amount of its baggage 
would, at the worst, merely delay and hamper 
its movements, and that such mistakes would 
correct themselves. In the meantime, he re- 
mained in Virginia to settle some of his busi- 
ness affairs, and then started to overtake the 

66 



THE BATTLE OF MONONGAHELA 

General. Being a volunteer, he had to supply 
his own horses and equipment, but no officer 
was better mounted or more neatly uniformed 
than he when he set out on his journey, for 
even as a boy he had always shown a proper 
regard for his appearance, and Braddock had 
every reason to be proud of the young Aide- 
de-Camp who joined him in Maryland. 

By this time the General was fully aware 
of the folly of the route he had taken, but he 
had apparently not benefited by the lesson, for 
he was still unwilling to leave his ponderous 
baggage behind him, so for wrecks the army 
made but little progress. Washington re- 
spectfully informed him that it would be im- 
possible to drag the heavy artillery and lum- 
bering baggage trains through the momitain 
wilderness, but Braddock merely grew impa- 
tient, complaining that the colonists were not 
giving him proper assistance and roundly 
abusing the whole country. He had always 
found proper roads prepared for his forces in 
Europe, and had always carried the amount 
of baggage he had brought with him on this 
expedition, and to his mind there was no other 
way of marching. Washington protested and 
argued more and more warmly as time went 

67 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

on, but no attention was paid to his advice, 
and, as he expressed it, the army halted " to 
level every molehill and to erect bridges over 
every brook, ' ' until it advanced scarcely more 
than three miles a day, and sickness began to 
break out among the troops. Meanwhile, he 
himself fell ill and had to be left behind, and 
for some weeks he despaired of recovery in 
time to take part in the battle with the Fi'cnch. 
Finally, however, he persuaded the surgeon 
to allow him to start on again in a wagon, and 
after a painful journey he rejoined the Gen- 
eral near the Monongahela River. 

The Monongahela was a stream fordable at 
a point some eight miles from Fort Duquesne, 
the stronghold of the French, and on July 0, 
1755, at the moment of Washington's arri^'al 
on the scene, Braddock was preparing to push 
his troops through the ford and attempt to 
carry the fortress by assault. This was the 
event in which the young Virginian had 
longed to participate, and though he was still 
far from well he instantly mounted a horse 
and reported himself ready for duty in the 
field. The General had l)y this time partially 
adopted the advice of his volunteer Aide, for 
he had a])andoned his heaviest artillery and 

68 



THE BATTLE OF MONONGAHELA 

baggage and divided Ms forces, his advance 
party consisting of a small body of Virginian 
troops and more than a thousand regulars, jjut 
such was his contempt for the enemy, that 
although he had been warned to beware of In- 
dian ambuscades, he ordered the troops to 
cross the stream without throwing out skir- 
mishers or making any search of the woods 
which lay just beyond the landing place on the 
farther shore. Fully alive to the danger of 
this proceeding, Washington strongly advised 
some such measure of precaution, and the 
same warning had already been given by no 
less a person than Benjamin Franklin, but 
Braddock's only reply was to assure him that 
disciplined British regulars had no need to 
fear the maneuvers or tricks of savages. 

The boast seemed almost justified, for as 
the veteran troops swept forward in their bril- 
liant uniforms, with all the order and precision 
of a regiment on review, they looked invinci- 
ble, and the straggling company of Virginians 
in their not too clean hunting costumes made 
a sorry showing by comparison. On the other 
side of the river stretched a wide clearing 
fringed with forest-covered hills, and across 
this natural parade ground s^^alng the bright 

69 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

array, their arms glittering, their flags flying, 
and their drummers gayly beating a tatt(io. 
It was a spectacle to stir even the most slug- 
gish blood, but as Washington followed it with 
admiring gaze a loud cry suddenly rent the 
air, the crack of a rifle followed, and instantly 
from the thickly wooded heights a storm of 
bullets struck the well-ordei'ed ranks, while on 
all sides the air resounded with the yells of 
hidden marksmen and the woods flashed and 
smoked with the discharge of their deadly 
weajDons. 

No bush fighter of Virginia needed to be 
told the meaning of those sounds. The troops 
had marched into the deadliest sort of ambush, 
and those who understood what had happened 
knew that unless they were speedily extricated 
not a man of them would be left alive to tell 
the tale. Already scores of victims lay dead 
upon the field, and those that survived were 
huddling together in panic-stricken confusion. 
At the first volley the Virginians instantly 
spread out, each man taking cover behind a 
tree, after the Indian method of fighting, and 
Washington, dashing toward the dazed and 
helpless masses, vainly ]iesought Braddock 
and his fellow-officers to shelter their mou in 

70 



THE BATTLE OF MONONGAHELA 

the same manner. But no English forces had 
ever been handled in such fashion, and hiding 
behind trees seemed to Braddock like coward- 
ice in the presence of the enemy. He, there- 
fore, actually ordered the standard-bearers to 
advance the colors and plant them in the 
ground as rallying points for his fast-disap- 
pearing forces, and there he re-foi-med them 
into solid shoulder-to-shoulder ranks, where 
they made perfect targets for the enemy and 
did far more damage to their friends than 
their foes by firing blind volleys at every puff 
of smoke. 

Aghast as he was at this fatal stupidity, 
Washington made desi)erate efforts to save 
the day by bringing the artillery into action, 
even helping to serve one of the guns himself, 
but long before a crisis was reached the vet- 
erans were seized with wild panic and 
streamed away in headlong flight, some of 
them cutting the artillery horses from their 
traces and galloping away in abject terror. 
All that personal bravery and example could 
do to check this disgraceful stampede the Eng- 
lish officers did, no less than sixty falling in 
vain attempts to rally their men, and among 
the survivors were Horatio Gates and Thomas 

71 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Gage, two officers who were destined to be 
well known in future years. Washington him- 
self displayed such reckless daring that the 
Indians, firing at him again and again, are 
said to have believed that he bore a charmed 
life. Twice his horse was shot from under 
him and four bullets passed through his cloth- 
ing, but he remained unharmed, and when 
Braddock fell, mortally wounded, and only a 
few officers remained alive, he assumed com- 
mand and with the A^irginians covered the 
fugitives' retreat. It was no easy task, how- 
ever, to escape with even a handful of men, 
for the French realized the opportunity that 
lay before them and shot dowai every strag- 
gler, while the Indians, emerging from the 
forest with yells of triumph, scalped the 
wounded and plundered the dead. Indeed, if 
the enemy had not stopped to seize the cannon 
and other trophies of victory, it is extremely 
dou])tful if even a remnant of the troops 
would have escaped, but as it w^as, by hard 
riding Washington managed to reach the rear 
division of the army and bring it up to tlie 
support of the disorganized fugitives. The 
commander of this relieving force then as- 
sumed charge, but he had been so thoroughly 

72 



THE BATTLE OF MONONGAHELA 

frightened by what he had seen and heard that 
he ordered the retreat to continue, and the 
whole army fell back as rapidly as possible 
toward Fort Cumberland, sixty miles away. 

In the meantime, Braddock died of his 
wounds and the regimental Chaplain having 
fallen in the battle, Washington read the 
burial service at his commander's grave, over 
which the troops and artillery were marched 
to conceal all trace of it from the enemy and 
their savage allies. 



CHAPTER X 

THE COMMANDER OF VIRGINIA'S ARMY 

Humiliating as such a defeat would have 
been under any circumstances, it became abso- 
lutely shameful Avhen the news arrived that 
the French and Indians at the Monongahela 
ambush had not numbered, all together, over 
seven hundred men — scarcely half the force 
imder Braddock — ^and that they had stiunbled 
quite unexpectedly on their opponents and 
had never hoped to do more than delay their 
advance. In the face of this disclosure the 
rout of the whole British army and the aban- 
donment of the entire campaign set all Europe 
laughing, and in Virginia, as well as in the 
other colonies, the survivors of the expedition 
were treated with anything but respect. 

Of course, most of the blame fell upon poor 
General Braddock, but his ])ersonal bravery 
was unquestioned, which was more than could 
be said for the veterans of the rear di\dsion, 

74 



COMMANDER OF VIRGINIA'S ARMY 

who had scampered away without waiting to 
see if anybody was pursuing them. In fact, 
the only persons connected with the aifair 
whose reputation did not suffer were Wash- 
ington and the little company of Virginians, 
whose courage and coolness had virtually 
saved the army from utter destruction. Wash- 
ington was especially praised for his con- 
duct, a regimental chaplain referring to him 
in a sermon at that time as '' that heroic 
youth whom I cannot but hope Providence 
has hitherto preserved in so singular a man- 
ner for some important service to his coun- 
try," and about a month after the battle he 
was offered the command of all the Virginian 
forces. 

This was unquestionably a high honor for a 
man not yet twenty-four years old, but Wash- 
ington was by no means eager to reenter the 
service, preferring to remain at Mount Vernon 
and resume work on his plantations. In the 
first place, he did not feel that he Imew enough 
about military matters to take the chief com- 
mand, and in the second place, his mother was 
extremely unwilling that he should again risk 
his life in the wilderness, while he himself felt 
that he had lost far more than he had gained 

75 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

in the previous expeditions. Nevertheless, 
wlien he was convinced that the people of Vir- 
ginia really needed him and that he would re- 
ceive sufficient authority to raise an effective 
force, he accepted the appointment and at 
once set to w^oi'k at his duties. 

A more discouraging task than that of or- 
ganizing an army from the raw materials with 
which he was supplied can scarcely he iniag- 
ined, and from the very outset he met with an- 
noyances and delays of every kind. Both 
patriotism and money were lacking, and de- 
S23ite his best efforts, he never had sufficient 
men to guard the frontier or protect the set- 
tlers who were being continualh' attacked by 
the Indians. Nevertheless, he managed, by 
strict discipline and untiring work, to main- 
tain some sort of fighting force for six months 
and to keep the enemy in check by constant 
skirmishing. Then an English captain com- 
manding a handful of men appeared on the 
scene and claimed to be his superior officer, 
on the ground that he held, or had once held, a 
commission from the King. To this Washing- 
ton would not submit, and he at once obtained 
leave of absence to visit Boston and have Gen- 
eral Shirley, who had ])een appointed Com- 

7G 



COMMANDER OF VIRGINIA'S ARMY 

mander-in-Cliief after Braddock's death, set- 
tle the dispute. 

Accordingly, he started out on horseback, 
accompanied by two officers and two servants, 
and a gallant appearance the little company 
must have made, for, being on an official mis- 
sion, Washington wore his dress uniform of 
blue and red, with a white-and-scarlet cloak 
and a sword knot of silver and blue, while his 
Aides were similarly attired, and the serv- 
ants wore white-and-scarlet liveries and hats 
trimmed with silver lace. This was the first 
time he had ever been north of Philadelphia, 
but not only in that city but in New York, 
New London, Providence, and Boston, his 
record as a soldier was known and he received 
enough flattering attentions to have turned a 
far older head. He was not, however, in the 
least spoiled, and after enjojdng all the din- 
ners and dances and entertainments to which 
he was invited, and securing his right of com- 
mand over the officious captain, he rode back 
to Virginia, and resumed his duties with fresh 
energy. 

Almost two years of vexatious work fol- 
lowed, but in that time he received the most 
invaluable lessons of his career. For a while 

77 



ON TllK TKAIL OF W ASli 1 Nc; TON 

his tonipcr and his t()iii;uo contiiiiKMl to ^ct Uw 
brttiM" o[' him. .-uid Ww stupidity and ]H\i;i('('i 
of tlu' ,i;(>\('riinuMit ol'licials and ollicrs willi 
wlioiii he Iiad to work ri'('(|U(Mit ly I'ouscd liini 
to groat outhui-sis ol" wralli. IJiil lit He l>y lit- 
tle lir loaniod that an^or and inipationco 
raroly accomplish aiiythinij: and that ho 
would Hovor 1)0 tittod to command others if 
ho couhl not control liimsolf. Kvon by tho ond 
of the campaign ho had not ac(]uirod (\almnoss 
and i)ationco, hut durint;- this time ho grad- 
ually roalizod that tho U^ss cpiarrols and dis- 
putes ho had, tho inoro work he accomplished 
and that ovory h^ss of temper meant a loss of 
time. Moreover, he fully recognized tho truth 
of the saying that it is a poor w(U-kman who is 
always finding fanlt with his tools, and instead 
of complaining of his (lilhcnlti(\s and s(H^king 
excuses, he acquired tlu^ habit of making one 
thing servo when ho could not get anothoi*. 
All this was a hard, wearing experience, how- 
ever, and late in IT;")? hv became so ill that ho 
was obliged to i-otire to INfount Vernon for sev- 
eral months without att(Mn])t iiig to resume 
a<'t i\(' sei'viee. 

Meanwhile, General Forbes, another Bi'it- 
ish othcer, was giv(^n su]n'(Mne command of all 

78 



COMMANDER OF VIRGINIA'S ARMY 

the colonial and regular forces in the local 
field, and Washington once more started for 
the scene of action. He soon found, however, 
that although the lesson of Braddock's defeat 
had not been lost vipon the new General, the 
campaign, as a whole, was miserably handled. 
Indeed, the second march against Fort Du- 
quesne was not much more than well under 
way before another force of British and pro- 
vincial troops was ambushed and shot to 
pieces, and had it not been for a decisive de- 
feat of the French in Canada, which occurred 
about this time, it is highly probable that the 
entire expedition would have ended in failure. 
As it was, however, the enemy finally set fire 
to the fort and abandoned it, and Washington, 
leading the foremost troops, took possession 
of it on November 25, 1758, without a struggle. 
With the raising of the English colors on its 
smoking ruins Fort Duquesne was re- 
christened Fort Pitt, in honor of the great 
English statesman, and from this historic 
fortress sprang the present city of Pittsburg. 
/ Thus ended a campaign which had practi- 
/ cally lasted for four years, during which 
Washington had developed from a daring offi- 
cer into a well-disciplined commander. He 

79 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

had learned miicli from the professional sol- 
diers of England with whom he had been 
throwTi in contact, but perhaps the most im- 
portant thing was the knowledge that they 
were not invincible, as he had formerly sup- 
posed, and that the colonial troops fighting in 
their o^^^l country were a match for any men. 
Little did he then dream how useful this 
knowledge was to prove to him during the 
coming years. 



CHAPTER XI 

PLANTATION DAYS 

Shortly before the campaign against Fort 
Duquesne began, Washington had occasion to 
travel to the seat of government at Williams- 
burg, and on the road he fell in with a friend 
who persuaded him to stop for dinner at his 
house. There he met Mrs. Martha Custis, a 
young widow, with whom he fell in love at 
first sight, and within a few days they were 
engaged. Six months later they were mar- 
ried, the wedding occurring on January 6, 
1759, in the presence of a small but distin- 
guished company, for Washington, although 
not yet twenty-seven, had become a person of 
no little importance in the colony through his 
command of its army. Among the guests were 
the Governor of Virginia, resplendent in his 
official costume of scarlet and gold; English 
and colonial officers in their dress uniforms, 
and ladies in picturesque gowns, making as 
7 81 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASIIIXGTOX 

])i'illiaiit a scene as was ever witnessed in Vir- 
ginia. The bride was becomingly attired in 
white silk, shot with threads of sil\cr, and 
Washington woi'e a costume of blue and sil- 
ver, trimmed with scarlet; his knee and shoe 
buckles were of gold, and at his side he car- 
ried a light dress sword. After the ceremony, 
which occurred at what was know^i as " the 
White House," the bride drove off in a coach 
and six, with Washington riding beside her 
carriage on one of his favorite horses, at- 
tended by a cavalcade of officers and other 
gentlemen of the wedding party, who accom- 
panied him and his lady several miles across 
country to Mrs. Washington's residence in 
Williamsburg. 

Here the newly married couple lived for 
several months, in order that Washington 
might attend the meetings of tlie ])urgesses. 
The burgesses were men selected from the va- 
rious comities of Virginia to make the laws 
for the colony, and Washington had been 
elected as one of these la^^^nakers during his 
last campaign. Indeed, he made his first ap- 
pearance in the House of Burgesses, as their 
place of meeting was called, shortly after his 
marriage, and was much embarrassed to find 

82 



PLANTATION DAYS 

himself welcomed with an address, thanking 
him in the name of Virginia for his services 
during the war. Astonished by this public 
praise, he rose to reply, but no words came to 
him and he stood blushing with confusion un- 
til the speaker gracefully came to his rescue: 
*' Sit down, Mr. Washington," he remarked; 
*' your modesty equals your valor, and that 
surpasses the power of any language I pos- 
sess." 

As soon as his official duties permitted, 
Washington set out for Mount Vernon, where 
he and his wife intended to make their home, 
and here he was soon busily engaged. Mount 
Vernon had not changed much since he had 
come to know and love it as a boy. The cozy 
farmhouse, erected by his father and improved 
by his brother Lawrence, still stood on the hill- 
side above the Potomac River on which he 
had fished and rowed and sailed; the well- 
kno^vn woods, with their splendid trees, still 
fringed the fields, reminding him of his boy- 
hood haunts and rambles; and the barns and 
pastures, where he had made friends with the 
horses and learned to ride, remained much the 
same. Li fact, the whole place welcomed him 
back with familiar arms, and for the first time 

83 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

ill many years lie once more felt himself at 
home. It was to no life of idleness or luxury, 
however, that he retm'ned, for he was ambi- 
tious to succeed as a farmer, and to make 
Momit Yernon the model plantation of Vir- 
ginia. With this purpose he began studying 
the best methods of raising crops, and plan- 
ning for new and more convenient buildings, 
with the result that a carpenter's shop, a 
blacksmith's forge, a flour mill, a spinning 
house, and sheds for curing and packing to- 
bacco were soon erected, and much that was 
used on the farm, from clothes to plows, was 
made directly on the place. 

All this required hard work, and Wash- 
ington superintended almost every detail him- 
self, even fashioning new implements for the 
fields with his own hands and keeping all his 
own acounts, besides visiting his slaves and 
personally looking to their welfare in time of 
illness or other need. Moreover, Mount Ver- 
non was not the only property which de- 
manded his attention, for Mrs. Washington 
and his stepchildren. Jack and Patsey Custis, 
liad lands which were intrusted to his care, 
and on them he ])estowed the same intelligent 
thought. Altogether, lie had more tc do than 

84 



PLANTATION DAYS 

most men could possibly have accomplished, 
and it was at this period that the methodical 
and orderly habits he had acquired as a boy 
proved invaluable. Instead of being worried 
and hurried by his various duties, he per- 
formed them all very calmly and systemati- 
cally, doing one thing at a time and arranging 
his hours of work so that he never wasted any 
time and always had plenty to spare. Of 
course, he liked and took pride in his work, or 
he would not have done it so well, but he en- 
joyed every kind of healthy sport just as 
much as he had ever done, and each day he 
managed to find some opportunity for his 
favorite pastimes. 

Always a lover of riding, he had many 
fine horses in his stables, of which his fa- 
vorites were " Magnolia," an Arabian thor- 
oughbred, and " Ajax," and " Valiant," while 
in his kennels were the hounds, " Sweetlips," 
''Chanter," "Mopsey," "Music," "Sancho," 
" Singer," " Forester," " Busy," " Ragman," 
' Tartar," the water dog, " Pilot," and other 
four-footed friends. Indeed, during the sea- 
son the fox hunters met three time a week, 
sometimes at the Fairfaxes', but quite as often 
at Mount Vernon, for the woods about it were 

85 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASIIIXCxTON 

famous as roverts, and tlicic was iiowlioro in 
Virginia a l)etter pack of hrmnds. Indeed, a 
more perfect spot for a meet it would ])o dif- 
ficult to imagine — the splendid woods, the com- 
forta])le fai-mhonse, the wide sweep of turf, 
the silent, shining river, the magnificent view, 
all combining to make an ideal setting for the 
gentlemen in blue and pink, with their spirited 
horses and their well-trained dogs. Washing- 
ton usually wore a blue coat, scarlet waistcoat, 
buckskin breeches, and a velvet ca^D on these 
occasions, and he was generally accompanied 
by General Braddock's old orderly, Bishop, 
somewhat similarly attii'ed and carrying a 
French horn for calling the dogs. Fox hunting 
was not, however, Washington's only diver- 
sion, for he was fond of fishing and shooting, 
but he had a positive disgust for men who 
slaughtered game mei'ely for the sake of the 
killing, and loathed cruel and unsportsmanlike 
conduct of any kind. Billiards and card play- 
ing he likewise enjoyed, and busy as he was, he 
still found time to attend all the dinners, 
dances, and entei'tainments of the neighbor- 
hood, while his own house was famed for hos- 
pitality. 

For six happy years he lived this active 
86 



PLANTATION DAYS 

but simple and healthy life, using his brains 
to make his land pay and gaining such a repu- 
tation for honesty and fair dealing that his 
brands of flour were passed without govern- 
ment inspection at home and foreign ports, 
and brought the highest prices on the market. 
It was also an unselfish life, for there were 
many people on his own plantation and among 
his neighbors who depended upon him for 
help, and his daily entries in the diary, which 
he kept during this whole period, show that 
he constantly thought and planned for others 
far more than he did for himself. To his pub- 
lic duties he was particularly attentive, sel- 
dom missing a meeting of the House of Bur- 
gesses and taking the keenest interest in all 
political questions. 

Thus, on May 29, 1765, when one of the new 
members rose to address the House on the sub- 
ject of the taxation of the colonies by Eng- 
land, he was an attentive listener. This new 
member was a young lawyer named Patrick 
Henry, and his speech, which boldly warned 
England not to tax the American colonies 
without their consent, lingered in Washing- 
ton's memory long after he returned to the 
quiet of Mount Vernon. 

87 



CHAPTER XII 

WAR CLOUDS 

Virginians had for sometime past been 
openly exi3ressing their resentment at the 
treatment they were receiving from the mother 
country, but Washington was not the sort of 
man who makes up his mind in a hurry. He 
saw that the King of Enghmd and his advisers 
were attempting a very foolish and a very 
dangerous thing in forcing the people of 
America to pay taxes without consulting their 
wishes, but he believed they would discover 
their mistake, and before long the Stamp Tax, 
which had aroused the fiercest opposition, was 
abandoned. For a while, therefore, it seemed 
as though there would be no further difficulty, 
but trouble soon broke out again when the 
English Government renewed its interference 
with Massachusetts and the other colonies, 
and from that time on tlie (piarrel grew more 
serious every year. 

88 



WAR CLOUDS 

Probably no one who saw Washington at- 
tending to his daily duties at Mount Vernon 
during this period imagined that he was par- 
ticularly interested in the rights or wrongs of 
America.' Apparently, he was absorbed in his 
fields, his horses, his dogs, and his friends, 
and the notes which he recorded from day to 
day in his diary refer almost entirely to hap- 
penings at his home. To-day *' Mopsey " had 
eight puppies; yesterday Lord Fairfax dined 
and spent the night preparatory to fox hunt- 
ing on the morrow; sowed wheat to-day at 
the mill; worked on the new road; planned 
for the gardens; finished the frame for 
the barn; anointed all the hounds (old dogs 
as well as puppies) with hogs' lard and 
brimstone for the mange; Patsey Custis ill 
yesterday — sent for the doctor; took Jacky 
Custis to his tutor's; played cards indoors to- 
day, as it was snowing; dined with guests at 
home. 

So run the entries telling how and where 
Washington spent his time. They do not, 
however, tell his thoughts; they say little or 
nothing of himself or of his own opinions. 
Yet, in the House of Burgesses, where he 
rarely spoke, though he listened closely to all 

89 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

that was beinp^ said; at his own table, where 
he and his guests often sat talking until late 
at night; in correspondence with his friends, 
and in the restful seclusion of his fields and 
woods, Washing-ton was slowly making up his 
mind which side to take in the coming strug- 
gle, and when he had once decided, he never 
wavered for an instant. Thus, in 1769, when 
the Governor of Virginia closed the House 
of Burgesses and dismissed its members to 
their homes as a punishment for having pro- 
tested against England's treatment of Massa- 
chusetts, it was Washington who addressed 
them at a neighboring house, and proposed 
that Virginia should innnediately stop buy- 
ing tea and certain other articles from Eng- 
land until she behaved fairly to Massachu- 
setts. Some of the men who promised to 
do this did not keep their word, but from that 
hour Washington would never allow an ounce 
of tea in his house, or buy any of the forbid- 
den merchandise. Nevertheless, he did not 
yet believe that it would be necessary for the 
colonies to fight for their rights, and he re- 
sumed his quiet life at Mount Vernon with no 
appai'cnt fears for the future. 

All this time his work was increasing enor- 
90 



WAR CLOUDS 

mously, and before long he was managing not 
only his own plantations and those of his step- 
children, bnt also his mother's propert}^ and 
the estate of his brother Augustine, who had 
died, besides taking charge of the affairs 
of Colonel Fairfax and several other neigh- 
bors who had gone to England, or otherwise 
needed his assistance. Notwithstanding all 
these cares, he still found time to hunt and 
shoot and fish, to attend boat races, barbecues, 
dinners, and dances, and to revisit, and in a 
measure reexplore the region of the Ohio 
where he had gained his first experience as a 
surveyor and a soldier. 

It was in the midst of all these activities 
that unwelcome news disturbed the quiet of 
his life. The English Government, it ap- 
peared, was about to send troops to Boston 
and close its port, and the Virginian Burgesses 
at once protested so indignantly that they 
were again ordered to disperse. Before they 
did so, however, they resolved that June 1, 
1774, the date appointed for closing the port 
of Boston, should be made an occasion of 
prayer and fasting in Virginia, and Washing- 
ton's diary records that he attended church 
and fasted all that day. Two months later a 

91 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINCxTON 

meeting was held to choose delegates to the 
first Continental Congress to be held at Phil- 
adelphia, and here Washington, nsnally silent 
on such occasions, spoke briefly, but to the 
point. " I will raise a thousand men, enlist 
them at my own expense, and march myself at 
their head for the relief of Boston," he volun- 
teered. 

The effect of such a statement from a man 
who rarely spoke and was known to be on 
friendly terms with the Governor and other 
royal officials made a profound sensation. 
" It was the most eloquent speech that was 
ever made," declared one of those who heard 
it, and many believed that it meant that the 
hour for fighting had arrived. The only im- 
mediate result, however, was the election of 
Washington, Patrick H-enry, and five others 
to represent Virginia at the Philadelphian 
Congress, which contented itself with sending 
a masterly message to the King and the people 
of Great Britain, explaining the whole diffi- 
culty and respectfully demanding fair treat- 
ment for all the American colonies. Wash- 
ington took no part in the long discussions 
which led to this action, but he carefully lis- 
tened to all that was said, and returned to Vir- 

92 



WAR CLOUDS 

ginia more thoroughly convinced than ever 
of the justice of the cause. 

It was soon apparent that neither the King 
nor the Parliament would pay any attention 
to the Continental Congress, and Virginia 
and the other colonies reluctantly commenced 
preparing for war. Many of Washington's 
neighbors thought as he did, but not all of 
them, for Lord Fairfax and his family sup- 
ported the King. Washington did not, how- 
ever, quarrel with them on this account, and 
before many years had passed he was able to 
show that he had not forgotten their kindness 
to him in his boyhood days. In March, 1775, 
some of the Virginian troops began offering 
to put themselves mider his command, among 
others a company raised by one of his broth- 
ers, and at the same time he was summoned to 
attend another convention to elect the dele- 
gates from Virginia to the second Continental 
Congress, which was to assemble at Phila- 
delphia the following May, and again consult 
as to the best means of protecting the colonies. 
At this convention Patrick Henry made a 
great speech, calling upon all Americans to 
rise and fight for their independence. *' Is 
life so dear or peace so sweet," he demanded, 

93 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASIIlXCiTON 

"as to l)e purchased at the price of chains and 
slavery ? Forbid it, Ahnighty God ! I know 
not what course others may take; but as for 
me, give me liberty — or give me death! " 

It was in the city of Richmond that Wash- 
ington listened to those thrilling words, but 
he needed no urging to take up the sword, and 
when he was again elected to represent Vir- 
ginia at the Congress, he had already accepted 
the conunand of several independent military 
companies and expressed his full intention of 
devoting his life and fortune to the cause. 
Nevertheless, for the few weeks that intei*^^ 
vened between the Richmond meeting and the 
opening of the second Continental Congress, 
he resumed his peaceful occupations at ]\[ount 
Vernon, which, under his constant supervi- 
sion, had become not only one of the most 
beautiful 1)ut also one of the most highly cul- 
tivated plantations in Virginia. There was 
no display about the place — nothing costly or 
magnificent, but the roads, the hedges of box, 
the old-fashioned flower gardens, the well- 
fenced fields, the trimmed paths, and all the 
buildings were in perfect condition, and no 
more homelike spot existed in the colony in 
the Spring of 1775. 

94 



WAR CLOUDS 

Always famed for its hospitality, it wel- 
comed a constant throng of visitors during 
April of that year, and among the many 
guests who then found a warm reception, were 
Charles Lee, an ambitious officer who had 
served in the English army, and Horatio 
Gates, one of the survivors of Braddock's dis- 
astrous campaign. Little did Washington 
imagine as he rode over his farm with those 
gentlemen, or sat chatting with them in the 
dining room, what experiences he was to have 
at their hands within the next few years. 
Others passed in and out of the hospitable 
mansion during those weeks with whom he 
was likewise to have business of vast impor- 
tance, but his diary records merely the fact of 
their visits and nothing of their conversation 
or their hopes or fears. Perhaps they spoke 
only of the prospects of the crops and the 
beauty of the country under the touch of 
Spring. 

On the morning of May 3, 1775, several 
negro servants might have been seen walking 
up and down before the simple farmhouse, 
each leading a saddle horse equipped for a 
long journey. One of them, a chestnut named 
'' Nelson," with a white face and four white 

95 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

feet, bore a saddle furnished with both saddle 
bags and pistol holsters, and when Washing- 
ton, his wife, and other nienil)ers of the house- 
hold appeared at the doorway, the groom 
quickly led this favorite into place and held 
the stirrup while his master sprang lightly 
into the saddle. There were a few words of 
farewell, and then as Billy, his colored l)ody 
servant, mounted " Blueskin," another of his 
favorite hunters, Washington started on his 
second journey to the Continental Congress at 
Philadelphia, never dreaming as he turned to 
salute the group on the doorstep that he was 
saying good-by to Mount Vernon, and that 
eight terriljle years would intervene before it 
gladdened his eyes again. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 

Before the representatives from Virginia 
reached Philadelphia messengers came hur- 
rying southward with tidings of the battle of 
Lexington, and when Washington appeared 
in the Continental Congress on May 10, 1775, 
it was observed that he wore his old blue-and- 
red uniform which he had worn as commander 
of the Virginian forces and laid aside six- 
teen years before. That was his method of 
expressing his opinion of the news. 

But the other members of the Congress 
were not even then ready to believe that the 
war had actually begun, and for more than a 
month they tried to keep the peace between 
England and her colonies, in spite of Patrick 
Henry's angry protest that '' there was no 
peace," and the fact that armed Americans 
were already surrounding Boston. Finally, 
however, it became absolutely necessary to se- 
8 97 



ON TllK TKAll. OK \V ASIIIjNOTON 



l(V't somo ouc \o coinin.'ind lliis forco, :u\{] tl\(^ 
(lisciissioiis IuiikmI on llu' luopci" pci'stui lo 
i"(M'<M\<^ llic ;i|>i)(Miil ituMil . W aslniiL^lon was, of 
course, (li(> ('li(M('(» o\' \ irL;iiii;i, luit -loliii I Inn- 
cock, ol" Mnss.iclniscI Is, ;nul sc\(m;iI oIIkm's do- 
sw'cd llic posihon, .nul .is the nrniv .irouiul 
l>ostoH was coiupost^l wholly of N(>w Mn^l.nul 
nuMi, il was ai\i;ue(l Ihat tlu\\ would \)c indii!,' 
nant il'a siraus^tM' W(M'(' pK-u'ed omm- them. i)n 
lh(> ittluM- hand. ,lohn Adams and some ol" tlie 
ahl(>st d(>lt\iiates from Massachus(>tts saw that 
it would ni>t i\(^ \<) (WIend th«> i^owtM'I'nl colony 
ol" Niri^inia. esp(»cinlly as Ium- candidal(> had 
niort' e\p(M"itMic(^ and ri^juitation as a soldier 
than any oi' tlu* otluM-s, and they nr^cHl that 
tlu* (>ther colonii^s yit^d \i^ \\cv wisluvs. 

As so(Mi as his nanu' was mention(>d in 
thes(> discussi(Uis, W'ashinutiMi left tlu^ roi^n, 
and t>n dnn«* !">, ITTo. iu* was {'(n'mally nomi- 
natiui and unanimously eiet'ietl ConunandtM'- 
in-(1ii«d' o\' all the forces in the lield. The fol- 
lowing ilay he was ni>tititHl o( tliis fact and ai'- 
«*ei»ted th(» appointnuMit in a ft'w moih^st 
words. iM'omisinu' luithinu" hut the d(>\(>tion o\' 
all his piuvtM's \o iho stM*vi(*e o\' \\\o (*auso. 
*' l>ut lest si>nu^ unlucky evtait should happen 
unfa\tM';ihl(^ to my reputat i(>n.*' lu^ add(Nl. " 1 

1)8 



rili: (OMMANDI.K IN ( IIIKI' 

Ik^;^ i(. iri;i,y he, Vi',\}iH'.r\\\ii'V('(\ by c.vc.vy /^cul Icjnnri 
in fli(^ r-ootri ilui.i, I fJiis d.'iy (I(^<-ln,f<^, wiili \}\('. 
Ill rnosi, sirx'cr-il y, I do nol lliink niysc^H" ('(|ii;il 
l,() Jlic r(»niiii;iii(| I ;itti lioiiorfrd wilfi. As io 
[);iy, sir'," \]('. <'(>nj iiiiicd, ;i<l(ii'(iSHiri{j,- Ific, l*r(;si- 
(l(uil, " I hc-^ l(t;i,v(', i,<» .'issurc; ilw ( !(>n^f(^SH 1,h;«,<; 
;iK no |)(H'iini;«,ry cornpf^nsjilion (•<)uM Iin.vc^ 
i(!rnf)l,f'(l WW. io ;M*<'('|)i iliis jirdiioiis ('irif)l()y 
r\\<\\\\,, I do nol wish lo rnal<(^ ;uiy pi'olil, rrorn 
ij,. I will k('<'[) ;iii cx.'M-l, ;ir('oiiiif. <d' iny (^\- 
p(!HS('S. 'IMiosc, I doiihl, nol., Ilx-y will dis 
r\\'.\ri!;(% ;ind IIimI, is ;ill I dcsii-*;." 

Soon iil'icr ihis r-cr-r^niony w;i,s ^•orri[)l(^ff'd, 
li(^ wi-ol,(^ ;i, nir(^w(^ll U'iU'V to Mrs. W.'ishin[z:ion 
.•ind .•inolficr io liis sff^psori Anck (/iisiis, ifll 
iii^- liini lli;il, lif; iiiiisi now i.*d<(r cak^ of his 
nioihcr ;ind ni;ui;i^«^ his own properly. Ife 
.'liso wi'<>i(', fo I ho officers of Ihc indefx^ndeni 
cornpnriies of Vir^inin,, wfiieh li;<d [)l;ieod 
lii('irisolv(!S under his dirfieiion, ;uid hade 
;i(li(Mi Io his f)rolhe,r Jolin Aii^iislinr^ asking 
him :uu\ fiis sish^r Io visii Mrs. Wnsfiin^ion 
.'Uid sl.;»y with het- ;i,s lon^' ;i,s possif)le. TIk^h 
\](\ n'vi(^wed l,he I •iiil;idelf)lii;in l.roo[)S, ;i.nd on 
dune 'j:'., ITTf), ei^iil, d;iys iJior his ;if)poinl 
nieni, he sl;irled \'<>v l>osl,on, ;j,eeornpani(;d \>y 
(Jcrieral (JharJes Lee, wfio had hc^en appointed 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

third in coiiimaiul. Before he was fairly on 
the road, however, he was met by a dispatch 
rider, informing him that the battle of Bmiker 
Hill had been fought, and, encouraged by the 
splendid stand which the American troops had 
made against the English regulars, he hur- 
ried on, and resting only one night at King's 
Bridge, New York, where he placed General 
Philip Schuyler in command, reached the 
American camp at Cambridge on July 2, 1775. 
Here, in expectation of his arrival, the word 
of parole had been made Washington and the 
countersign Virginia, and the following day 
he took command of the army, which received 
him Avith enthusiastic cheers, his reputation 
and his appearance alike inspiring the utmost 
confidence. 

Certainly his bearing as he rode past the 
straggling lines of farmers and minutemen 
left nothing to be desired, his tall, athletic 
figure, his calm, determined face, his hand- 
some uniform, and his superb horsemanship 
all combining to win him attention and re- 
spect. He was then forty-three years of age, 
and although he weighed almost two lumdred 
pounds, his height made him appear slender, 
and despite the 3'ears that had elapsed since 

100 



THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 

Ms retirement from the army, he had neve£ 
lost the erect carriage of a soldier. Alto- 
gether, he was in as perfect condition for the 
work that lay before him as though he had 
been in training for it all his life, and his six- 
teen years' experience as a planter had 
schooled his temper and given him a knowl- 
edge of men and business such as few military 
commanders have ever possessed./ Probably 
those who appointed him never thought of 
him as a systematic man of business, but it 
was fortunate that all his talents were not 
warlike, for the immediate situation at Bos- 
ton demanded good management rather than 
generalship. For the time being the English 
were greatly outnumbered and closely con- 
fined within the limits of the town, but there 
was no system or discipline worthy of the 
name among the American troops, and no one 
knew exactly what forces or supplies or am- 
munition were available. 

Washington's first task, therefore, was to 
create order out of chaos, and before he had 
been long at work he discovered a most alarm- 
ing condition of affairs. On his arrival he had 
been informed that there was abundant am- 
munition for the troops, but it soon appeared 

101 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINCxTON 

that those in charge of this matter had ])hin- 
derecl terribly and that there was pi'actically 
no powder whatsoever. Had General Gage, 
Braddoek's old lieutenant, wlio commanded 
the British forces in Boston during the early 
part of the siege, known this, he could have sal- 
lied from the town and destroyed the whole 
American army ahnost without resistance, 
and Washington was fairly aghast at the pos- 
sibility. Nevertheless, it would not do for him 
to appear alarmed, so he concealed the facts 
as far as possil^le and so arranged his forces 
that the English were given the idea that he 
was planning an immediate attack. This suc- 
ceeded better than he dared hope, for General 
Gage, remembering Bunker Hill, did not ven- 
ture from his intrenchments, and General 
Howe, who succeeded him, was even less ad- 
venturous. Still, Washington was exceedingly 
anxious, for at any moment a spy or a traitor 
might inforai the enemy that the guns which 
threatened them were empty, and once that 
was known, all would be lost. To guai'd 
against this he ordered that none Init native 
Americans, or those with a wife or family in 
the country, should be appointed as sentries 
or outposts. Moreover, every effort was made 

102 



THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 

to conceal the dangerous situation from all but 
the highest officers, and only a few of them 
were intrusted with the secret. Gloomy as 
this state of affairs was, it grew worse as time 
wore on, for the troops who had enlisted for 
a few months' service began departing to 
their homes, and while he kept Howe's twenty 
odd regiments constantly in fear of attack, 
Washington actually disbanded one army and 
formed another almost under his enemy's 
nose, and in point of discipline and effective- 
ness the second army was a vast improvement 
on the first. 

Before his arrival there had been little or 
no personal dignity even among the highest 
officers. Indeed, one of the first sights that 
greeted him after he assumed command was 
General Israel Putnam riding into camp with 
an old woman perched behind his saddle and 
though the Commander-in-Chief laughed till 
the tears rolled down his cheeks at the absurd 
appearance of the old Indian fighter, he knew 
such exhibitions did not inspire the troops 
with respect for their superiors. 

The truth was, however, that no distinc- 
tions existed between the officers and men. 
All were good patriots and those who were 

103 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

placed in command hesitated to give orders, 
and those in the ranks resented receiving 
them. In fact, the whole army was nothing 
but a mob, and an unarmed mob at that. But 
Washing-ton miderstood that courage and pa- 
triotism alone would not avail against a dis- 
ciplined enemy, and day after day he labored 
with infinite tact and patience, but uncompro- 
mising firmness, to drive this lesson home^ 
Such work was not at all to his taste and had 
he consulted his own inclinations he would 
doubtless have preferred to lead the expedi- 
tion against Quebec, which he intrusted to 
Benedict Arnold. There was no glory and 
very little credit in the wearisome task of or- 
ganizing an effective fighting force. Indeed, 
the fact that the men were enlisted for only a 
few months at a time practically undid his 
work and forced him to do it over and over 
again, but how faithfully he performed this 
ungrateful duty can be seen from the minute 
instructions that fill his Orderly Books, many 
of which are still in existence. Once he was 
sorely tempted to make a real instead of a 
I)retended attack upon Boston early in the 
campaign, despite his scanty supply of pow- 
der, but the hesitation of his officers finally 

104 



THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 

made him realize that the risk would be too 
great. 

Meanwhile, some Virginian troops arrived, 
dressed in the Indian hunting costume he had 
recommended during the Ohio campaign, and 
after more than six months of weary waiting 
a fair supply of powder was procured. Al- 
most at the same time Henry Knox returned 
from Fort Ticonderoga, where he had been 
sent to bring the cannon which Ethan Allen 
had captured, and with this invaluable mate- 
rial at the disposal of the army, preparations 
were at once begun for closing in on the 
enemy. 

A range of hills known as Dorchester 
Heights overlooked the town, and if Washing- 
ton could distract General Howe's attention 
until he had time to fortify this position he 
saw that he would hold the city at his merc)^ 
There was not much danger that the English 
commander would realize the vital impor- 
tance of this ground after having neglected 
the opportunity of seizing it for so manj^ 
months, but to keep him occupied elsewhere 
a severe cannonade was opened against the 
enemy on March 2, 1776, and maintained for 
two successive nights from the opposite direc- 

105 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

tion, while the artilleiy and supplies were 
moved to a sheltered spot near the high 
ground. Then on the third night a great force 
of men was thrown forward and set at work 
digging intrenchments and mounting the 
heaviest guns. Ignorant as the soldiers had 
been of military drill, they needed no instruc- 
tion in the use of the shovel and the pick, and 
despite the fact that the groimd was frozen 
hard, within a few hours Dorchester Heights, 
lined with rifle pits and bristling with cannon, 
threatened the English forces with capture or 
destruction. 

Then, and not until then, did General 
Howe discover what had happened, but one 
glance was sufficient to advise him of his dan- 
ger, and he instantly began preparations for 
attacking the still unfinished fortification. 
Before his plans were completed, however, he 
became con^dnced that unless he could escape 
by the sea he would be hopelessly trapped, and 
in almost panicky haste he bundled his troops 
aboard the men-of-war in the harbor, abandon- 
ing vast quantities of cannon and supplies, 
and Washington took possession of the city 
on March 17, 1776, without the loss of a man. 



CHAPTER XIV 

IN THE FACE OF DISASTER 

The Americans did not remain long in 
Boston after the British sailed away. In fact, 
before their ships had left the harbor Wash- 
ington began sending troops to New York, for 
he knew that the English Government would 
be highly displeased at the surrender of Bos- 
ton, and it was probable that General Howe 
would attempt to redeem his reputation by 
capturing one of the other seaports. There- 
fore, the moment he was convinced that his 
opponent intended to attack New York, he 
hastened there with the remainder of the army 
to head him off. 

Here a much more difficult problem than 
that at Boston confronted the American com- 
mander, for he was now endeavoring to keep 
the enemy from capturing a city instead of 
trying to drive them out of one, and he had 
neither ships to defend the harbor nor any 

107 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

means of knowing from what point the attack 
would be made. Moreover, many of the peo- 
ple of New York favored the King, and they 
did their best to injure the American cause 
and embarrass the General. Nevertheless, he 
set resolutely to work once more at building 
up an army, but much that he had already ac- 
complished had to be done again, for despite 
his wishes. Congress continued to enlist troops 
for short periods, and many of the soldiers re- 
turned to their homes the moment their term 
of service expired. Indeed, Congress had 
such extraordinary ideas on military matters 
that, after many letters of advice and protest, 
Washington went to Philadelphia and ex- 
plained what was needed, at the same time ex- 
pressing his opinion that the colonies should 
at once declare themselves independent of 
England and fight imtil their independence 
was acknowledged. 

In the meantime. General Israel Putnam 
took command at New York, and by the time 
Washington returned some progress had been 
made in preparing the city for the expected 
attack. But although barricades had been 
erected in the streets and batteries on the 
river fronts, and all the lead torn from the 

108 



IN THE FACE OF DISASTER 

roofs of the houses to make bullets, there were 
not men enough to guard the various ap- 
proaches to the town, and it was practically 
defenseless when the English fleet sailed into 
the bay and landed an army on Staten Island. 
General Howe appeared to be in no hurry, 
however, and Washington took advantage of 
his slowness to strengthen the defenses on the 
Long Island shore, at or near Brooklyn, and 
otherwise make ready for battle. 

Meanwhile, the independence of the colo- 
nies was proclaimed by Congress, and on July 
9, 1776, Washington paraded his troops near 
what is now the City Hall and had the Decla- 
ration of Independence read to them by the 
commanding officers. The rejoicings over 
this event had scarcely ceased, however, when 
some of the English ships sailed up the North 
River, despite the fire of the American bat- 
teries posted on the shore, and it was soon evi- 
dent that nothing could be done to prevent 
the whole fleet from following whenever it 
pleased, and landing an army to attack the 
city in the rea]\ But Lord Howe, the Admiral 
of the fleet and brother of the English General, 
instead of doing this, sent a letter advising 
Washington that King George was now ready 

109 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

to pardon his rebellious subjects, and perhaps 
grant some of the requests which the colonists 
had made before the war, provided they would 
promptly lay down their arms. This letter 
was, however, merely addressed to Mr. Wash- 
ington so the Conunander-in-Chief declined to 
receive it, and Lord Howe was given to under- 
stand that it was now too late to propose such 
terms to America. 

Both sides accordingly resumed prepara- 
tions for fighting, but the British forces re- 
mained inactive for about five weeks, when 
they suddenly landed on Long Island at 
Gravesend Bay, near Brooklpi, where General 
Sullivan was in charge. As soon as he heard 
of this movement, Washington placed Gen- 
eral Putnam in conuiiand and hurried reen- 
forcements to him, personally inspecting his 
troops and giving minute instructions for 
guarding the roads. He then returned to New 
York, and for a few days all was quiet. On 
the night of August 26, 1776, however, the 
British plans were completed, and finding one 
of the most important roads unguarded, Gen- 
eral Howe approached within striking dis- 
tance of the American lines without being dis- 
covered. At the same time other divisions of 

110 



IN THE FACE OF DISASTER 

his army were moving forward by other roads, 
and before daylight a fierce battle was raging. 
The American troops were completely sur- 
prised and defeated, and so well had Howe 
concealed his movements that Washington 
did not learn what was happening until almost 
noon, and before he arrived on the scene the 
day was already lost. Indeed, the shattered 
army had by that time been driven behind its 
intrenchments at BrookljrQ Heights, and was 
preparing for a last desperate stand, but just 
at the critical moment when the British were 
sweeping everything before them, their ad- 
vance suddenly halted and the exhausted 
Americans received an unexpected but sorely 
needed breathing spell. 

Up to this moment Washington's general- 
ship had not been severely tested. The siege 
of Boston had demanded neither quick judg- 
ment nor brilliancy, and he had seen but lit- 
tle actual service in the field. Now, however, 
he was in a position where he had to think and 
act on the instant. The army was in dire peril, 
and if he was to save it, there was not a mo- 
ment to lose. Before him, and almost within 
musket shot, lay Howe's victorious forces, and 
beyond them the men-of-war and other ves- 

111 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

sels waited, needing onlj^ a signal to start them 
up the river. Evidently, the British com- 
mander could not quite make up his mind 
whether to crush the Americans by an imme- 
diate attack on their front, or to wait until 
he could move the ships around to their rear 
and cut off their retreat. But while he hesi- 
tated, Washington acted. 

With the utmost secrecy and speed he sent 
orders to have every sort of rowboat and 
barge and sailing craft which could be found 
between the city and Spuyten Duyvil for- 
warded to him at Brooklyn, and so promptly 
was he obeyed that Avithin eight hours the 
strange fleet was assembled. Meanwhile, he 
called his officers together and directed that 
as soon as it became dark they should tell the 
troops to prepare themselves for a night at- 
tack and then move them toward the shore, 
one regiment at a time, taking care not to let 
them know where they were going until they 
reached the boats, lest there should be any 
hurry or confusion. One detachment was to 
be left guarding the intrenchments nearest the 
enemy until the last moment, and no noise of 
any kind was to be made. 

It was nearly nine o'clock on August 29, 
112 



IN THE FACE OF DISASTER 

1776, before these preparations were com- 
pleted, but at tliat hour the troops began to 
move on board, a regiment of fishermen from 
Marblehead and Gloucester furnishing the 
crews. At times it seemed as though the 
British must hear the creaking artillery 
wheels and the tramping of the men, but a 
heavy fog concealed their movements, and 
boat after boat pushed off without mishap. 
Suddenly the roar of a heavy cannon shook 
the earth and for a moment Washington be- 
lieved that his maneuver had been discovered, 
and that the enemy were about to attack. But 
word soon came that the discharge had been 
caused by spiking a gun which could not be 
moved, and the work of departure was in- 
stantly resumed. Then to the general's utter 
dismay the detachment which had been left to 
guard the farthest breastworks and deceive 
the enemy, mistook its orders and appeared 
at the shore hours before its time. The re- 
treat now threatened to end in disaster, for it 
was scarcely possible that the British sentries 
had not observed the withdrawal of the rear 
guard, and an attack at this crisis meant noth- 
ing less than the destruction of the entire 
force. Nevertheless, Washington did not lose 
9 113 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

his head, but quietly ordered the detachment 
back to its intrenchments, and it reached them 
without its movement being discovered. 

At first an adverse wind impeded the re- 
treat, and then as the night wore on and the 
breeze died down the heavy tide began to 
sweep the boats in the wrong direction, and 
once more the expedition was in peril. Be- 
fore morning dawned, however, the wind 
freshened in the right direction, and finally 
the last barge was pushed from the shore, and 
the last man to step aboard it was Washing- 
ton. Thus the whole American army slipped 
slowly and silently away under cover of the 
friendly fog, carrying all its ammunition and 
equipment, and shortly after sunrise General 
Howe discovered that his prey had escaped 
him, and that the American commander had 
performed the apparently impossible feat of 
safely landing nine thousand troops on the op- 
posite shore without the loss of a man or a 
gun. 



CHAPTER XV 

FIGHTING FOR POSITION 

With the river between it and the enemy, 
the American army was, for the time being, in 
safety, and General Howe did not immedi- 
ately pursue, for both he and his brother, the 
Admiral, thought that the Americans might 
now be more inclined to end the war and they 
knew that England was far more anxious, at 
that time, to reconcile the Americans than to 
defeat them. Lord Howe, therefore, sent the 
American General Sullivan, who had been 
taken prisoner at the battle of Long Island, to 
inform Congress that the English Government 
was ready to talk peace, and John Adams, 
Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge 
were appointed by Congress to meet his lord- 
ship on Staten Island and hear what he had 
to say. It soon appeared, however, that noth- 
ing could be done unless the Americans were 
willing to submit again to the rule of England, 
and accordingly no agreement was reached. 

115 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

111 the meantime, AVashington had estab- 
lished his headquarters on Harlem Heights, 
leaving five thousand troops under General 
Putnam in the lower part of the towTi to pa- 
trol the streets and maintain order. He knew 
that if he remained on Manhattan Island and 
the enemy succeeded in getting behind him 
his army would be caught in a trap from 
which there would be little or no chance of 
escape. He, therefore, determined to aban- 
don New York whenever Howe made a serious 
attack against the city, but he intended to de- 
lay his landing as long as possible and fall 
back slowly before the British advance. With 
this idea he stationed part of his forces at 
various points along the shore of the East 
River, with strict orders to hold the enemy 
in check, so that Putnam would have time to 
collect his men and withdraw to Harlem 
Heights, if it became necessary to evacuate 
the town. To his utter disgust, however, the 
troops which had been left to guard the in- 
trenchments, at what is now known as East 
Thirty-fourth Street, became panic-stricken 
when Howe began to cannonade them from 
the Brooklyn shore on September 15, 1776, 
and gave way almost before the first boat- 

116 



FIGHTING FOR POSITION 

load of the enemy crossed the river. The mo- 
ment he caught the sound of firmg, Washing- 
ton mounted his horse, and dashing to the 
spot, endeavored to drive the fugitives back 
to their posts, but though he struck at them 
with the flat of his sword and threatened to 
shoot them do^\1l, they fled past him, and he 
himself barely escaped capture as the British 
advance guard swarmed over the abandoned 
intrenchments and poured up Thirty-fourth 
Street unopposed. Indeed, if Howe had 
pushed resolutely forward, throwing a strong 
force across the island along the line of Thirty- 
fourth Street from shore to shore, he would 
have trapped Putnam's entire division. But 
the day was suffocatingly hot and an invita- 
tion to Imicheon tempted him to halt at Mrs. 
Murray's hospitable mansion, near what is 
now called Murray Hill, and here his hostess 
made herself so very agreeable that he and his 
staff tarried longer than they intended, and 
while they toasted their entertainer, Putnam's 
forces, piloted by Aaron Burr, slipped swiftly 
along the opposite side of the town and ar- 
rived, covered with dust and perspiration, and 
gasping for breath, but safe and sound, under 
the shelter of Harlem Heights. 

117 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

The main body of the American army at 
this ])oint was strongly intrenched in a triple 
line, stretching from the Hudson River on one 
side to Long Island Sound on the otlier, and 
Washington determined to make a stand there 
if Howe continued the pursuit. He, therefore, 
spent the night of September 15th in inspect- 
ing and strengthening his defenses, and it was 
then that he noticed a young artillery officer 
who was posting his guns with such rare good 
judgment that he made some inquiries con- 
cerning him. He was a boy about nineteen 
years of age, he was informed, who had re- 
cently been a student at King's (now Colum- 
bia) College, but had been given a captain's 
commission in the artillery, where he had al- 
ready done good service. His name was Alex- 
ander Hamilton. It was probably then that 
the General determined to make him a mem- 
ber of his staff, to which position he was ap- 
pointed four months later, and the acquaint- 
ance thus begun led to a lifelong friendship. 

Howe moved swiftly once he was in mo- 
tion, and the day after he landed in New York 
he hurled himself at the American intrench- 
ments with the idea of breaking through them 
and cutting off Washington from further re- 

118 



FIGHTING FOR POSITION 

treat. So certain was lie that this could be 
done that his buglers are said to have ad- 
vanced to the attack blowing a call which 
huntsmen use when a fox has '' gone to 
ground," and is as good as caught, and which 
a sportsman like Washington would be sure 
to understand. Undoubtedly, he did under- 
stand it, but it also suggested overconfidence 
on the part of his adversary, and of this he 
instantly took advantage, with the result that 
when the clash came it was the English and 
not the American line that broke. Then fol- 
lowed a brief but fierce struggle near what is 
now the site of Grant's Tomb, and nineteen 
bullet holes in one fence rail behind which the 
British took shelter showed that the American 
marksmen on Harlem Heights were not to be 
despised, and the day closed without any per- 
ceptible impression on their lines. This ap- 
parently convinced the English commander 
that he could not pierce Washington's center, 
and he accordingly determined to try his ends. 
These could be approached only by water, but 
Howe had the necessary ships, and the Ameri- 
can commander spent many anxious weeks 
while his opponent, who had suddenly become 
very cautious, prepared the next move. 

119 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Meanwhile, Washington attempted to discover 
his adversary's purpose by sending Captain 
Nathan Hale to Long Island, bnt the gallant 
yonng schoolmaster, canght in returning with 
the necessary information, was hanged as a 
spy, and the enemy's plans remained con- 
cealed. 

Finally, after a month's delay, the British 
were detected stealing Tip the Sound in an at- 
tempt to circle Washington's left end, and to 
meet this move he fell back, delaying the 
enemy by throwing forward a body of sharp- 
shooters whose deadly fire had precisely the 
effect which he hoped to produce, and gave 
him plent}^ of time to post his troops to ad- 
vantage. Therefore, when Howe thought 
that he had swung out far enough and turned 
to skirt the end, he found Washington planted 
squarely across his path at White Plains, and 
it took him so long and cost him so dear to 
carry the first line of defense on what was 
kno^\Ti as Chatterton's Hill that he concluded 
to call a halt before making another attempt. 
This engagement, called the battle of White 
Plains, occurred on October 27th, fully six 
weeks after Howe had landed in Now York, 
and the appearance of Washington's defenses 

120 




uETiiSv: »V 



■Ui./f(..>iV. 



FIGHTING FOR POSITION 

on the morning after Chatterton's Hill gave 
Mm further pause. It was well for the Amer- 
icans, however, that military field glasses were 
not as powerful then as they have since been 
made, for the intrenchments which caused 
General Howe to hesitate consisted of nothing 
but cornstalks pulled up with the sod clinging 
to their roots and piled into the semblance of 
a formidable breastwork. But weak as they 
were, they looked dangerous from a distance, 
and Howe, who had acquired an immense re- 
spect for improvised defenses after the expe- 
rience at Bunker Hill, decided not to risk a 
frontal attack. At the first favorable oppor- 
tunity, however, Washington abandoned his 
flimsy shelter and di'opped back about five 
miles to North Castle, where he secured him- 
self in a really strong position. Here for a 
few days the English commander confronted 
him but made no attack, and the Americans, 
regaining confidence, began to believe that 
their line was impregnable. Then a strange 
sound of rumbling wheels and tramping feet 
from the direction of the British camp dis- 
turbed this pleasant dream and warned them 
that something unexpected was happening. 
Something unexpected was happening. 
121 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Howe was rapidly heading for Dobb's Ferry, 
away oyer on the other side of the line on the 
Hudson Riyer. His attempt to skirt the 
American left end had failed and he was now 
to try the right. 



CHAPTER XVI 

A RACE FOR LIFE 

The right end was Fort Washington on the 
Hudson near Spuyten Duyvil, and by drop- 
ping down to Dobb's Ferry, Howe virtually 
boxed it off from the rest of the line. By all 
the rules of war it should have been aban- 
doned when Washington retreated to White 
Plains, but Congress had all but forbidden 
this, and the Conimander-in-Chief had ordered 
General Greene to hold fast or retreat as he 
thought best. Unfortunately, Greene believed 
that the place was strong enough to with- 
stand any attack, and he was ignorant of 
the fact that there was a traitor in the fort 
who had furnished Howe with enough infor- 
mation to insure its capture. This was un- 
doubtedly the explanation of the English Gen- 
eral's sudden change of plan, but under any 
circumstances it was a brilliant move, for it 
placed him in a position where he could either 

123 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASITIX(;T0X 

pi'oceed up the river against Albany, or cross 
it and attack Philadelphia, or besiege Fort 
AVashingion, and the Americans wei*e thus 
forced to divide their small army to be i'(^ady 
for any of these emergencies. For the endan- 
gered fortress, Washington could do little or 
nothing, but he posted a few thousand men 
under General Heath at Peekskill to guard 
the Highlands of the Hudson, and intrusted 
Lee with a strong force to hold the left end 
at North Castle imtil further orders, while he 
himself crossed the river with a force of about 
five thousand, which he posted at Hackensack 
to check any movement against Philadelphia 
through New Jersey. 

These preparations had scarcely l)een 
made before Howe struck at Fort Washing- 
ton and, aided by the private information he 
had received, soon had the i^lace at his mercy. 
Fi'om the lofty Palisades on the other side of 
the river, Washington had a full view of the 
movements of the Bi'itish troops and realiz- 
ing what was a])out to happen, he sent a mes- 
sage to the commander, urging him to hold on 
until niglit, when some means of escape would 
be devised. The message ari'ived too late, how- 
ever, and on Novonibci" K), 177(5, the entii'C 

VJ4 



A RACE FOR LIFE 

garrison of nearly three thousand men, with 
much of the best arms and cannon which the 
American army possessed, fell into the hands 
of the enemy. , The moment he saw the British 
flag floating above the fortress, Washington 
realized that there was not a moment to lose 
if the rest of the army was to be saved. With- 
out an instant's hesitation he ordered the 
evacuation of Fort Lee on the opposite side of 
the Hudson, sent an express to General Lee 
instructing him to cross the river at once and 
join him in New Jersey and, gathering up the 
few regiments under his inmiediate command, 
began a retreat, which is almost without a par- 
allel in the history of warfare. 

Scarcely had the garrison at Fort Lee re- 
ceived orders to abandon its post, when Lord 
Cornwallis, at the head of six thousand troops, 
scaled the Palisades and forced the rear guard 
to leave almost all their equipment and sup- 
plies in order to avoid capture. Even then it 
was not at all certain that they would escape, 
for the vigorous English General gave them 
no chance to rest, and by the time they over- 
took the balance of the little army, Cornwallis 
was close upon their heels. 

Never did a conmiander face a more hope- 
125 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

less situation than that which now confronted 
Washington. He was in an open, and ahnost 
flat country, affording no shelter for an in- 
ferior force to meet a superior one on any- 
thing like even terms, and rendering conceal- 
ment practically impossible. The weather 
w^as cruelly cold, the ground frozen, the troops 
poorly armed, and clothed in whatever they 
happened to ha wearing at the moment they 
started on their flight, and every mile they 
traveled, more and more men deserted the 
ranks. Indeed, the whole force at his disposal 
was soon reduced to about three thousand, and 
there was very little hope that even this hand- 
ful would continue to follow him, for the de- 
feats and constant retreating had discoviraged 
the whole country, and thousands of half- 
hearted patriots hurried to profess their loy- 
alty to King George when Cornwallis hauled 
his cannon up the Palisades. Indeed, the 
whole Revolution was crum])ling to pieces as 
Wasliington fled across the frozen flat lands 
of New Jersey. 

Yet in the face of this desperate situation 
the American Commander-in-Chief did not de- 
spair or even falter. Now h(^ slipped l^ehind 
the Hackensack River, just beyond his keen 

126 



A RACE FOR LIFE 

pursuers' grasp — now he dashed across the 
Passaic, gaining a momentary breathing spell 
as the enemy hesitated on the farther shore — 
now he divided his forces to throw the hunters 
off his trail, and dodged behind the Raritan 
River, destroying its bridges in the nick of 
time, while Hamilton's well-directed cannon 
held the pursuit in check — now he staggered 
on toward Princeton, shivering under the icy 
winter blasts, always sending more and more 
urgent orders to Lee to hasten his arrival, and 
never suspecting that his friend was playing 
false. 

But Lee could see Washington's x^light as 
plainly as though he were by his side, and he 
had no desire to share it. On the contrary, 
he had decided that his commander's loss 
would be his gain, and that out of the wreck of 
iWashington's fortunes he, being then second 
in command, would rise to the highest grade. 
Therefore, he pretended to misunderstand his 
orders, and answered the call for help with ex- 
cuses instead of troops. 

Meanwhile, the desperate flight continued 
and Washington, though hard pressed, was 
not yet at the end of his resources. With a 
twist he was over the Millstone River and an- 

127 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

other turn brought him within a short march 
of the Delaware. Up to this point the various 
streams, behind whose friendly interference he 
had darted and squirmed, had merely afforded 
him temporary protection, but here was a 
broad water-way which might effectually 
shield him for some time. Without the loss of 
a moment, he hurried forward an advance 
guard with orders to secure every boat along 
the Delaware for a distance of seventy miles, 
and as the men flew to perform their errand, 
the fate of the American Revolution hung in 
the balance. If the boats could be procured 
the army was safe ; if not, the end was at hand. 
But the ]joats were found, and sinking those 
they could not use, the exhausted soldiers 
clambered on board the others and pushed 
from the shore. No army ever had a more 
hairbreadth escape, for the British advance 
guard reached the river while the American 
rear guard was still in the act of crossing, and 
a few long-range guns would have sunk the 
entire flotilla long before the boats could have 
been beached in safety on the Pennsylvania 
shore. 

To Cornwallis the situation was exasper- 
ating in the extreme, and he made a hurried 

128 



A RACE FOR LIFE 

search for any sort of craft capable of ferry- 
ing his army, but without the least success. 
Scarcely a rowboat had been left afloat, and 
there was nothing to be done but build barges 
or a pontoon bridge, or wait until the river 
froze. The latter seemed the wisest course, 
for the ice was rapidly forming and all the 
prospects seemed to indicate a period of ex- 
traordinary cold. 

Therefore, being joined by General Howe 
and acting under his orders, his Lordship 
handed over his command to one of his sub- 
ordinates with instructions to cross the river 
and finish the campaign at the earliest possible 
moment, while he himself returned to New 
York, where he expected to set sail for Eng- 
land within a few weeks, carrying the news 
that the rebellion was at an end. 



10 



CHAPTER XVII 

WITH HIS BACK TO THE WALL 

Lord Cornwallis was not alone in his 
opinion that the struggle for independence in 
America had practically ceased. General 
Howe felt so thoroughly convinced of it that 
he was well content to leave a comparatively 
small force to finish up the work on the Dela- 
ware, while he returned with the balance of 
his army to comfortable winter quarters in 
New York. The British Government gave 
signal proof of its satisfaction, for it re- 
warded the successful commander by invest- 
ing him with the order of Knight Commander 
of the Bath and Sir William was freely credit- 
ed with having stamped out the rebellion. In- 
deed, many Americans shared this view, and 
when Congress abandoned Philadelphia and 
sought refuge in Baltimore, even tlie most de- 
voted patriots ])egan to fear that the fight could 
not be maintained nuich longer. Certainly the 

130 



WITH HIS BACK TO THE WALL 

soldiers believed that the end had come, for 
they were rapidly dispersing to their homes 
throughout the country, and the little force 
which still held together on the Delaware had 
been hmited almost to death, and cold and 
hunger threatened to make them an easy prey 
for the enemy who camped upon their blood- 
stained trail. Lee, it is true, had at last set 
his troops in motion, but he believed that the 
American cause was on the brink of ruin, and 
had no intention of involving himself in the 
disaster. Altogether the situation was about 
as desperate as could well be imagined, and 
when the ice began to form in the Delaware, 
the wreck of the Revolution seemed almost 
certain. 

There was one American, however, who 
neither despaired nor permitted others to de- 
spair. Probably no one understood the peril 
of the moment better than Washington, but 
though he was prepared for the worst, he had 
resolved to resist to the last and his plans were 
all made to that end. If the river froze, and 
the enemy crossed, he intended to split his 
army into bands and taking them to the moun- 
tains, wait for an opportunity to gather them 
together again. But no idea of surrender ever 

131 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

entered his mind. Meanwhile, he contin- 
ued to report regularly to Congress, inform- 
ing it of the army's needs and submitting 
plans for its betterment; gave orders to the 
various generals under his command; con- 
ducted a correspondence with Sir William 
Howe concerning an exchange of prisoners, 
and generally attended to all his duties with as 
much care and calmness as he had displayed at 
any time during the war. Even when the news 
reached him that General Lee had been caught 
sleeping in a farmhouse at some distance 
from his troops, and been gobbled up by a 
squad of British cavalry, and the increasing 
cold indicated that the foe would soon be able 
to cross the ice, he did not lose his courage. 
On the contrary, at this critical moment he ac- 
tually began planning to cross the river and 
attack the enemy. 

Rash as such an enterprise seemed, it was 
by no means hopeless, for the British com- 
manders, believing that the American army 
was at their mercy, had taken no precautions 
to protect their own forces, and their nearest 
troops, scattered up and do^^^l the river, were 
separated from each other by dangerously 
wide intervals. Of tliis fact Washington was 

132 



WITH HIS BACK TO THE WALL 

soon made aware, for lie had a number of spies 
in the guise of countrymen who rode in and 
out of the enemy's camp, ostensibly selling to- 
bacco and farm products, but really gathering 
information for the benefit of their chief. As 
soon as they advised him, therefore, of the 
careless arrangement of the opposing forces 
he instantly began preparations for catching 
them off their guard. 

By this time General Sullivan, w^ho suc- 
ceeded to Lee's command after the latter 's 
capture, had brought his troops safely into 
camp, marching almost as many miles in a day 
as Lee had covered in a week, and this re- 
enforcement was of the utmost importance to 
Washington. He knew that the whole force 
under his command was still much smaller 
than that of the enemy, but if he could keep 
their various commands from going to each 
other's assistance he might attack the most 
exposed posts in overwhelming numbers and 
either capture or destroy them before they 
could be reenforced. To insure the success 
of this scheme, however, it was necessary that 
the plans should be kept absolutely secret, 
and on Christmas eve he called his chief of- 
ficers together in a house from which every- 

133 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

one else was excluded, and issued his orders 
behind closed and guarded doors. Two of the 
commandei's were instructed to cross the river 
on Christmas night at different points and at- 
tack the enemy at daylight the next morning, 
while he himself crossed at Trenton and 
moved against the Hessians stationed at that 
place. To make sure that the three expedi- 
tions should move at the same moment, all the 
officers set their watches by Washington's and 
it was agreed that the men should not be told 
where they were going or what they were ex- 
pected to do until it was absolutely necessary. 
These preparations completed, the officers 
quietly returned to their quarters and at two 
o'clock the next afternoon Washington's regi- 
ments were assembled, each man carrying a 
rifle, a blanket, three days' provisions, and 
forty rounds of ammunition; the password 
was announced as " Victory or death "; the 
officers were instructed to pin bits of white 
paper to their hats so their men might recog- 
nize them in the dark, and without a word of 
explanation the little army marched rapidly 
and silently away. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

THE CHRISTMAS PARTY 

It was bitterly cold when the expedition 
started, and by the time the troops arrived at 
McKonkey's or " Eight Mile " Ferry where ^ 
Washington had assembled his boats, the Dela- ^ 
ware was almost frozen over. The Marble- 
head fishermen who had done such good service 
in the retreat from Long Island were again at 
the oars, however, and boat after boat was 
forced through the floating ice and beached on 
the opposite shore in safety. Nevertheless, 
the hours slipped quickly by as the oarsmen 
struggled against wind and current, and by 
eleven at night they had not accomplished half 
their task. Then, to add to the misery of the 
shivering troops, a wild storm of sleet and hail 
began, drenching the men to the skin and ren- 
dering the passage of the river doubly difficult. 
Under such circumstances it was four in the 
morning before the last boat load was landed 

135 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

on the Jersey shore, and dawn was the time 
api3ointed for the three movements against the 
British lines. Neither of the other expedi- 
tions had even succeeded in crossing the river, 
but despite this bad news Washington re- 
mained cahn and undiscouraged. Not a man 
or a gun had thus far been lost in the perilous 
journey, and Trenton was only eight miles 
away. If it was too late for a night attack, 
or a surprise, there was still time to strike 
the Hessians a heavy blow before their friends 
could come to their aid, and the moment the 
last man was landed, Washington gave the 
order to march. 

Exhausted as they were after nine hours' 
exposure to the bitter weather, the troops re- 
sponded gamely and, wrapping their guns in 
their blankets to protect them from the sleet, 
they i^ushcd resolutely forward in the teeth 
of the pitiless storm. After covering a few 
miles, however, a halt for breakfast was or- 
dered, but many of the men, too tired to eat, 
sank down in the freezing mud, and when the 
march was resumed their comrades had great 
difficulty in rousing them from sleep. Wash- 
ington did not dismount during this brief rest, 
nor did he consult with his staff. All his plans 

136 



THE CHRISTMAS PARTY 

were completed and the only word lie uttered 
was one of encouragement to the men as they 
resumed their march. 

By this time the dawn was already streak- 
ing the sky and the light showed the little 
army stumbling along in two divisions, one 
following the river and the other the upper 
road running parallel to it; the men march- 
ing with heads bent against the driving sleet, 
the steaming horses straining at the cannon 
traces and floundering in the treacherous mud 
at every step, the officers carrying muskets 
like their men and watching to see that no 
rifle or ammunition was exposed to the wet. 
Save for the splashing and trampling, not a 
sound came from the shadowy columns which 
slipped along in the slush with grim determi- 
nation, and among those who silently plodded 
forward with bits of white paper on their hats 
were Henry Knox and Alexander Hamilton, 
John Sullivan and Lord Stirling, Nathanael 
Greene, John Stark, the veteran Indian fight- 
er ; William Washington, a cousin of the Gen- 
eral, and young Lieutenant James Monroe, 
the future President of the United States. 

Meanwhile, the unsuspecting Hessians 
were enjoying a somid slumber in their bar- 

137 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

racks, after a gay Christmas celebration which 
had lasted far into the night. Colonel Rail, 
their commander, devoted himself exclusively 
to the festivities, declining even to see an ex- 
cited loyalist who demanded a private inter- 
view with him on a matter of much impor- 
tance, and when the man informed him, in 
writing, that Washington's troops were cross- 
ing the Delaware, he slii)i)ed the note, un- 
opened, into his pocket and never thought of 
it again. AVith this example, therefore, it is 
not surprising that discipline was everywhere 
relaxed; that the outposts were not properly 
manned, and that no vision of the mud- 
splashed columns that were converging upon 
them troubled the dreams of the drowsy gar- 
rison. 

About eight o'clock in the morning, how- 
ever, the whole town was suddenly awakened 
by the sound of firing, and ])efore the startled 
soldiers were fairly out of their beds, the sen- 
tries and outposts came flying into the town 
hotly pursued by the vanguard of the Ameri- 
can army. Even then, neither Colonel Rail 
nor his officers fully realized what had hap- 
pened, for they ordei'cd a small company of 
men to drive back the advancing Americans 

138 



THE CHRISTMAS PARTY 

and proceeded to form their regiments into 
regular line of battle. But Washington gave 
the Hessians no chance to complete their man- 
euvers. His opportunity had come and all 
his plans were perfected. With incredible 
speed, Knox and Hamilton wheeled their guns 
into position, uncovered them and began firing 
with fatal precision into the half-formed 
ranks, while a crowd of American sharp- 
shooters stormed the houses and picked off 
the officers from behind windows and doors 
with unerring accuracy. Neither discipline 
nor personal bravery availed at such a crisis, 
and when Colonel Rail fell, mortally wounded, 
with the note of warning still unopened in his 
pocket, the day was practically lost. A few 
wild volleys were fired at the encircling hosts 
and Washington's cousin William and Lieu- 
tenant James Monroe were wounded, but most 
of the bullets went wide of their marks, while 
the American rifiemen, seldom missing their 
aim, created havoc in the huddled ranks of 
their opponents. Finally Rail's own regiment 
broke and fled, and from that moment confu- 
sion reigned supreme. In the midst of shots, 
shouts, and all the uproar of blind panic, with 
men flying hither and thither in vain efforts 

139 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

to find safety, one company dashed in frantic 
flight across the bridge over the neighboring 
Assanpink Creek and made their escape, but 
before others could follow their example, 
Washington rushed a body of troops into posi- 
tion, blocking the road and completely sur- 
rounding the town. Then, as his whole forces 
moved forward, the bewildered Hessians, 
caught as in a net, threw their guns on the 
ground, their officers raised their hats on their 
swords in token of surrender, and the battle 
of Trenton ended. 

Washington lost no time in idle rejoicing, 
but gathering together the captured cannon 
and horses, and almost a thousand prisoners, 
he hastened over the Delaware again and with- 
in twentj^-four hours was once more safely in 
his camp. 



CHAPTER XIX 

CORNERED BUT NOT CAUGHT 

The news of the victory at Trenton spread 
through the country with well-nigh incredible 
speed. Horsemen dashed through the towns 
and villages shouting the tidings, but even be- 
fore they reached Baltimore, where Congress 
was assembled, the members had voted that 
Washington be given almost unlimited pow- 
ers to increase the army and conduct the war 
as he thought best. In fact. Congress prac- 
tically made him a dictator for six months, 
and had he been a vain, instead of a modest 
man, he might easily have had his head turned 
by the honors which were thrust upon him. 
But at this crisis he gave the first proofs of his 
real greatness. *' Instead of thinking myself 
freed from all civil obligations by this mark 
of confidence," he wrote, ^' I shall constantly 
bear in mind that as the sword was the last 
resort for the preservation of our liberties, so 

141 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

it ought to be the first thing hiid aside when 
those liberties are firmly established." 

With these quiet words he turned his at- 
tention to his forces on the Delaware, and it 
was well that he wasted no time in self-glori- 
fication, for the British commanders were 
alread}" preparing to retrieve the disaster 
to the Hessians by wiping out the entire 
American army. Indeed, the moment the 
dispatch riders arrived in New York with the 
news from Trenton, Lord Cornwallis hastily 
disembarked from the vessel on which he 
was about to sail for England and, gathering 
up eight thousand troops, made a forced 
march which brought him to Princeton ahnost 
at a bound. 

In the meantime, Washington had again 
crossed the Delaware to Trenton, but learning 
of Cornwallis 's rapid approach, he sought ref- 
uge behind the little Assanpink Creek which 
flows past the town, and to gain time for this 
movement he threw forward a body of troops 
under General Greene, with orders to delay the 
enemy by every possible means. Certainly the 
situation was perilous in the extreme, for 
Cornwallis 's force, which included the best 
regiments in the British army, was sufficient 

142 



CORNERED BUT NOT CAUGHT 

to annihilate or capture the Americans, and to 
attempt the repassage of the Delaware in the 
face of hostile artillery would have been court- 
ing destruction. 

Time was, therefore, of vital importance to 
Washington, and Greene and his men obtained 
it for him. At every turn of the road from 
Princeton and under cover of every thicket 
they lay in wait for the enemy, and so deadly 
was their fire that the advancing infantry was 
frequently forced to halt and call the artillery 
to its support, with the result that eight hours 
were consumed in covering as many miles. 
Indeed, by the time the vanguard of the enemy 
reached Trenton, the sun of January 2, 1777 
was already sinking and Washington was in 
comparative safety behind the Assanpink 
Creek. Nevertheless, Cornwallis made several 
attacks upon the bridge over that stream be- 
fore nightfall, and had it not been for the skill- 
ful posting of the artillery, it is not unlikely 
that he would have effected a crossing and des- 
troyed or captured Washington's whole force 
before another day had dawned. Darkness, 
the American cannon, and the exhaustion of 
his troops, however, soon caused the British 
commander to cease his attack, remarking of 

143 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASIIIXGTOX 

Washington that he would ** bag the old fox 
in the morning." 

Now was the time for the American Gen- 
eral to think quickly and coollj^, if he was to 
save himself and his army, for the situation 
was almost hopeless and escape seemed im- 
possible. But, face to face with danger, Wash- 
ington stood unafraid. He knew from the 
size of the army confronting him that Corn- 
wallis must have a considerable baggage train 
with food and ammunition somewhere behind 
him, and that he must have left a portion of 
his army to guard those supplies, either at 
Princeton or New Brunswick — the nearest 
and most convenient points for that purpose. 
If, therefore, the American army could be 
swung around the main body of the enemy 
during the night and hurled against this rear 
guard, all might not yet be lost. 

The moment this thought occurred to him, 
Washington hastened to act. One company 
was left to pile rails on the camp fires and keep 
them blazing brightly through the night, and 
another was ordered to throw up intrench- 
ments close to the British lines, using their 
pickaxes and shovels as noisily as possible 
to give the enemy every impression that they 

144 



CORNERED BUT NOT CAUGHT 

were busily preparing for a desperate resist- 
ance on the morrow. Meanwhile, with blank- 
ets bound around the cannon wheels to muffle 
their rumbling, and with cautious tread, the 
whole army slipped away in the darkness, 
swinging wide of Trenton and circling toward 
Princeton with such secrecy and speed that 
some of the officers who slept at a distance / 
from the main camp knew nothing at all of the / 
movement until they woke up the next morn- 
ing and fomid their comrades gone. Perhaps 
it might have been better if the march had been 
delayed a little, for before Princeton was 
reached, the skirmishers collided with part of 
the British rear guard moving forward to re- 
enforce Corwallis, and a sharp encounter fol- 
lowed. At first the enemy supposed they were 
being attacked by a mere party of stragglers, 
but to their utter amazement they soon found 
themselves confronting the whole American 
army. There was nothing to do but fight or 
surrender, and they fought this army which 
had *' dropped upon them from the clouds '^ 
with splendid courage, but the odds were hope- 
less and Washington tore through them like a 
whirlwind, allowing those that fled to Trenton 
to escape unmolested, but pursuing those that 
11 145 



ON THE TRAIT. OF AVASHINGTON 

turned to Princeton, until practically all were 
killed or captured. 

Meanwhile, Cornwallis continued his prep- 
arations for bagging his fox, and it was not 
until he heard the sound of cannon behind him 
that he discovered that his bag had a hole in it. 
Even then he could not believe that his prey 
had escaped him and, swinging about, he pur- 
sued with the utmost vigor. It was well he 
did so, for with a few more hours at his dis- 
posal, Washington might have reached New 
Brunswick and captured or destroyed all the 
British provisions and supplies, with the mil- 
itary chest containing £70,000 — a feat which 
might possibly have ended the war. The dis- 
tance was, however, too great for his tired men 
with the enemy close upon their heels, and he 
therefore reluctantly abandoned this part of 
his plan and, turning to the Basking Ridge 
Hills, was soon safe from pursuit at Morris- 
town. 

The effect of this brilliant movement was to 
leave the British army practically stranded in 
New Jersey and to encourage the other Ameri- 
can commanders to press forward. Putnam 
accordingly soon moved up from Phihidelphia 
and occupied Princeton ; other troops pushed 

146 



CORNERED BUT NOT CAUGHT 

the enemy from Elizabethtown and Newark, 
and still others dropped down from Peekskill 
and seized Hackensack, until hardly a vestige 
of New Jersey remained to the invaders, and 
all parts of the American army were in close 
touch again. 

Thus ended a campaign which for skill and 
daring has no parallel in military history, and 
which practically saved the American revolu- 
tion at a time when the bravest hearts des- 
paired. 



CHAPTER XX 

A GAME OF STRATEGY 

For five months the Anierieau army re- 
mained immolested at ^lorristown, but Avhile 
the winter tlnis slipped away, Washington hi- 
bored incessantly to prepare for the campaign 
which he laiew the British were planning for 
the coming Spring. The amount of work 
which he midertook and accomplished between 
January and June, 1777, can be imderstood 
only by reading the inmiense mass of letters 
and orders which he wrote during that period. 
Virtually the whole burden of the Revolution 
rested on his shoulders and he bore it without 
a thought of himself. Under any circum- 
stances the task would have been gigantic, but 
Avith the conditions as they were it was almost 
impossible. The States were suspicious of 
each other, and practically devoid of national 
feeling; the generals were Jealous of one an- 
other, and easily oft' ended ; the business of the 

US 



A GAME OF STRATEGY 

country was nearly at a standstill; the army 
lacked almost everything necessary to make it 
an effective fighting force, and Congress had 
neither the money to supply its needs nor the 
authority to collect it. 

All that could be done to meet this situa'^\ 
tion Washington did. He mortgaged or sold 
his own property and used the money to help 
pay and equip the troops; he persuaded the 
leading men of the various colonies to lay aside 
their differences and fight for the common 
cause; he tactfully smoothed over the petty 
quarrels among his officers, when patience was 
needed, and denounced them without mincing 
words, when plain talk was essential to disci- 
pline. Day after day, and week after week he 
kept at this exhausting work which was nei- 
ther glorious nor heroic, nor even exciting, but 
which enabled him, by the end of May, to pre- 
sent a fairly bold front to the enemy. 

It was not difficult to foresee what the next 
move of the British would or should be. Be- 
tween New England and the rest of the colo- 
nies flowed the Hudson River. Once this was 
in the possession of the enemy, Massachusetts, 
Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New 
Hampshire, and Maine would be entirely cut 

149 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

off from their sister colonies, for the British 
navy held absolute masteiy of the sea, and if 
the Hudson were under similar control no 
more Southern troops would be able to cross 
into New England and no New England re- 
enforcements could reach the South. With 
the colonies thus divided it would be a com- 
parativeh' simple matter to suppress the whole 
Revolution. All this was perfectly evident to 
Washington, and to guard against it he de- 
voted much time and attention to the defense 
of the river, purposely weakening the force 
under his immediate coimnand by sending 
reenforcements there and holding himself in 
readiness to cooperate with them as soon as 
the enemy's plans were fully developed. 

The opening moves of his opj)onents, how- 
ever, were somewhat confusing, and as the 
strategy the}^ employed was largely dictated 
from London by men wholly ignorant of Am- 
erica, it is not surprising that they did not 
handle the troops to the best advantage. Early 
in June, General Burgoyne started to invade 
New York from Canada, with the evident in- 
tention of l)eginning the conquest of the Hud- 
son from the North, but instead of proceeding 
up the river to cooperate with him, General 

150 



A GAME OF STRATEGY 

Howe advanced through New Jersey, as 
though he intended to attack Philadelphia. 
To meet this move, Washington promptly 
marched his army to Middlebrook, New Jer- 
sey, an exceedingly strong position, where he 
was close enough to reach the Hudson without 
much loss of time, and near enough to Phila- 
delphia to defend it in case of need. Then for 
almost three weeks Howe maneuvered his 
army, now advancing, and now retreating, 
with the apparent purpose of drawing Wash- 
ington from his stronghold and tempting him 
to a general engagement. 

But the American commander declined to 
walk into the trap. His business was to de- 
fend the Hudson and he did not intend to 
weaken his army by useless fighting. Like the 
experienced checker player who looks before 
he jumps, he saw the object of his adversary 
and stayed where he was, with the result that 
Howe soon wearied of the game and retired to 
Staten Island, the point from which he had 
originally started. Everything then indicated 
that he would at once move up the Hudson to 
meet Burgoyne, who was successfully making 
his way toward the river, and Washington, 
fully persuaded of this, returned to Morris- 

151 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

town, from which he could speedily throw his 
forces across Howe's path. Indeed, so con- 
fident was he that Howe would not leave 
Burgoyne to fight his way unassisted in the 
wilderness through which he was descending, 
that two divisions of the army were actually 
sent over the river and the others held in read- 
iness to cross at a moment's notice. 

About this time, however, news arrived 
that Howe had placed his whole army on board 
the fleet and was sailing southward from New 
York, apparently bound for Philadelphia. 
Amazing as this seemed, Washington ordered 
the regiments which had been thro^^al across 
the Hudson back to the west shore of the river, 
and moved cautiously toward Philadelphia, 
** continually casting his eyes behind him," 
lest Howe's movement should prove to be a 
trick to hire him away from tlie real poiut of 
attack. His suspicions seemed fully justified 
by the news that followed, for the British fleet 
had no sooner been sighted at the mouth of the 
Delaware River than it again put to sea. This 
seemed positive proof that the whole maneuver 
was nothing but an elaborate effort to entice 
the Americans away from the Hudson, and the 
army was once more headed for the river. 

152 



A GAME OF STRATEGY 

But to Washington's astonishment neither 
the British commander nor his fleet appeared, 
and for weeks no one had the slightest idea 
what had become of them. That Howe had de- 
cided to abandon Burgoyne seemed too good to 
be true, for the whole countryside was already 
closing in on that General, and unless assist- 
ance soon reached him his fate was absolutely 
sealed. Nevertheless, all doubt vanished to- 
ward the end of August, when the fleet re- 
appeared near the Head of Elk, in Chesapeake 
Bay, far to the south of Philadelphia, the Brit- 
ish conmiander having journeyed for over 
three weeks to reach a point little or no nearer 
Philadelphia than he had been in July, on the 
ridiculous supposition that his ships could not 
sail up the Delaware. There was no time, how- 
ever, to wonder at this error or to rejoice in 
Howe's unhoped-for appearance. The great 
fact was that his army had landed in Mary- 
land, hundreds of miles away from Burgojnie, 
and the one object of the campaign now was 
to keep him occupied until the time for a 
rescue had gone by. With this object Wash- 
ington hastened to Delaware and prepared to 
throw his whole army squarely across his op- 
ponent's path. 

153 



CHAPTER XXI 

THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE 

To defeat the enemy was almost more than 
Washington dared hope, as he had only eleven 
thousand men, many of whom had never been 
under fire, while Howe commanded eighteen 
thousand of the best and most perfectly 
equipped troops which England had thus far 
placed in the field. Nevertheless, success was 
not impossible, for the country was fairly de- 
fensible, and it was, presumably, more fa- 
miliar to the Americans than to their op- 
ponents. But Howe was better served by his 
guides than he had been by his pilots on the 
Delaware, and soon after landing he advanced 
slowly but with the same sureness of purpose 
which had marked his advance at the battle 
of Long Island. 

In the meantime Washington moved to 
Philadelphia, and here he met a young French 
nobleman who had just arrived from France, 

154 



THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE 

to fight for the cause of American liberty. 
This was the Marquis de Lafayette, a boy in 
years but a man in character, who had seen 
service as an officer in the French army, and 
whose modesty and unselfishness at once made 
a favorable impression upon the ConTniander- 
in-Chief . Other Frenchmen had come to Am- 
erica with the idea of joining the army, but 
most of them had proved so insolent, greedy, 
and troublesome that Congress was in no mood 
to welcome the arrival of any more. But from 
the outset Lafayette displayed a very different 
spirit, for he promptly volunteered to serve 
without pay and without rank, saying that as 
soon as he had heard of American indepen- 
dence his heart was enlisted. Congress ac- 
cordingly appointed him a Major-General, and 
when the army passed through Philadelphia 
he acted as one of Washington's Aides. 

The troops had now been under arms for 
many weeks, and the long, rapid marches and 
countermarches they had made in meeting 
Howe's maneuvers had rendered them foot- 
sore and weary, but they entered the town with 
flags flying and drums beating, wearing sprigs 
of evergreen in their hats and otherwise pre- 
senting the best possible appearance. Never- 

155 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

theless, the dusty and curiously uniformed 
ranks must have looked strange to the young 
Frenchman as they filed past him, and Wash- 
ington remarked that he regretted not being 
able to make a better showing before an officer 
fresh from the army of France. Probably he 
said this to test his new acquaintance, but 
Lafayette promptly responded, "It is to learn, 
sir, and not to criticise that I am here," and 
this quiet, tactful reply of a boy not then 
twenty years of age instantly won the com- 
mander's respect. From that time forward he 
made the Marquis his friend, and a few days 
later, when the British outposts caught sight 
of the General reconnoitering the position of 
their army, they reported that he was closely 
attended by a very youthful officer dressed in 
a French uniform. 

Washington stationed his forces near Wil- 
mington, Delaware, inmiediately upon leaving 
Philadelphia, and for about two weeks he 
watched the enemy, sldrmishing with their 
advance guard as they moved forward and 
falling back slowly while he searched for a 
favorable position at which to check their 
march. Between them and Philadelphia, and 
squarely across their path to that city, flowed 

156 




WASHINGTON AND lilri STAFF F0LLO\\TN(J A GUIDE ACROSS COUNTRY AT 
THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. 

September 11, 1777. 



THE ExVTTLE OF ERAXDYWIXE 

the Brandy^ine Creek, and behind this Wash- 
ington posted his army on September 11, 1777. 

The position was well chosen, for the 
stream had only one convenient ford, and this 
crossing, known as Chad's Ford, was guarded 
by steep banks, while to the right and left the 
American troops were so placed as to give 
every prospect of success. But on this oc- 
casion Howe handled his men with rare skill 
and judgment. In front of Chad's Ford he 
massed a heavy force under the German Gen- 
eral Knyphausen, ^ith the evident intention 
of forcing a passage of the river at that point, 
and while the Americans under General 
Greene were hotly engaged in repelling this 
attack, he and Lord CV)i*nwallis led a strong 
force eighteen miles by a roundabout route to 
another ford far beyond the right flank com- 
manded by General Sullivan. 

From time to time vague reports reached 
Washington that a large number of the enemy 
were moving away from the field of battle, but 
having little or no cavalry he was unable to 
confir-m this. Xevertheless, he warned Sulli- 
van to be on his guard, but the information 
which that General received contradicted the 
rumors of danger and he took no particular 

157 



ON iiii: ruAii. ov \\ aswwuvo's 

piwaiit ions to pro(t\'t hiiusi^ll'. huKn'il, it was 
luM iinlil a L;'roat i'K>iul *>!* ilust ilisrlostul tho 
pri\stMU-tM>t' tluMMioiuN that \\c roalr/inl that his 
tiauk was l>oini; tiinuul. aiul it was iIumi too 
\:\\v to do imu'h luofo than sa\o liis (owe l"roin 



m^sinu'iioii. 

Tho Uritish roininaiultMs »;a\t* thiMr t>|>po 
noiits no cUauco to ri\'i»\or (vo\\\ ihoir siiipriso, 
aiul tho \\\{ roatoil ioi;iilais ilashoil across thi> 
t"oi\l aiul hiirU^l thoinsoU t\s upon SiilliNan's 
trv^ops with woll iiit;h i\'sistloss l'orv'i\ Vov a 
niouuMit It siHMiiOil as though a (>anio wimo iu- 
ovitabU\ for nian\ ol* thi* luilitia ri\i;iiiuMits 
i;a\o wav at tho tirst (>iishmi;iit aiul a poriod ot' 
lu^pi^U^ss ront*iisit>n t'ollowoil. hi \ain tho(>l'- 
tiv'tM's i*alK\l i>ii thoir iiumi to stauil tiriii. aiul 
.Lat'ayt>ilt\ throwiiin' hinisiMf into tlu^ tiiirki^st 
o( tho tii;ht, t\>ll with a biilh^t thrinii;h his h\i;\ 
aiul was onlv sa\oil trom oapturt* oi' iKwtii hv 
nnoth(M' t>tVu'iM-, who holptul him on his liorst^ 
aiul hnrrioil hini to a plaro ot' sat\>ty. 

MoanwhiK> Washington. luMrinii tho tirini;" 
far away on his ri>;ht atul t't*arin>;' sonio ilisas- 
tor. ilaslunl toward tlu* si>uiul, followt^d hy his 
Aiilos and uiiidiHl by a friulittMUHl atul nnwill 
ing oKl man, nanunl flosoph Hrowii. wlu> had 
boon hoist(\l on a horso aiul toUl Lo load tho 



'JHK JiATTfJ-: Ol iiJ^AXDVWfNE 

way :d lop i^.pcA'/l. Away thoy (biahvA acroBS 
Uj'; fi^ddw, /iyjrjj( over i'ojtcAtH and ditchen, 
Wa.sljirj^ton conlirjually urj^inj^ [jj'k j^-uidf^ to 
Hcl a fasO^r f>acfi and fixclairrjirjg " Push aJon;^, 
oJd njan I I'iikIj aJonj^;! " wlifin^n'^^r he showc/l 
Hj'gnH of wriakrifjirjg. 15ut doKpite tijJH wild 
HOi^pJe-chaH^, \)('S<)nt the CV)rrjrrj;indcr-irj-Chicf 
couJd rr^afrfj Ihr^ sc/inf^ of a^'liorj, Ihr^ (U'ScaUtd 
<:<)\\\!nnH c'.itna foWin'^i; back in dire confiiKion. 

Orje j^]ance wan Hni'iicJant to convince him 
lljal IIjc attack on (^'had'n i^'ord had been 
merely a feint, arid that if thin fliink movement 
was not speedily cljecked the enemy would j<et 
f^r-jjiud bin), and Ijis whole army would be 
cauj^^ht fjetween two finfK. He therefore or- 
dered (intcjKt to fall })ack frorrj dhiKVH Ford 
and come to Sullivan's rescue, and so skill- 
fuliy w(ire his orders obeyed that the British 
advance was halted arjd the rout which had al- 
ready beg(in was turfjcd i/jlo a respectable 
rfitr'cat. 

Mf^arjwljile, however. General Knyphausen 
took advantaj^e of Greene's withdrawal to 
push across Gljad's l^'ord, and before nightfall 
Howe had a clear road to Philadelphia. 



CHAPTER XXII 

A FIGHT IN A FOG 

The battle of Brandywine was not a ruin- 
ous disaster, but it cost the Americans fully a 
thousand men and eleven pieces of artillery, 
and it left Philadelphia practically defense- 
less. Washington was not the man to shirk 
responsibility for the result, however, and 
when an attempt was made to throw the blame 
on General Sullivan he promptly notified Con- 
gress of his disapproval. That he had been 
defeated, if not outgeneraled, was undoubt- 
edly true, but the enemy had lost over six hun- 
dred men and he fully intended to make their 
victory far more expensive before the end of 
the campaign. His main object had been to 
keep his adversary busily engaged, and to ac- 
complish that object he was willing to be 
defeated every day in the week. 
'* Thus, while Congress hastily removed its 
books and papers to a place of safety, and its 

160 



A FIGHT IN A FOG 

supporters awaited the approach of the Brit- 
ish with fear and trembling, he began a game 
of check and counter-check with his success- 
ful opponent which worried and delayed him 
almost beyond belief. The Schuylkill River 
still lay between the royal army and the town, 
and behind this the American forces were ma- 
neuvered so effectively that the British did not 
succeed in crossing it for twelve days after the 
battle of Brandywine, and did not occupy 
Philadelphia imtil September 26, 1777. In 
other words, Washington, at a very slight cost, 
forced his victorious foe to consume more than 
two weeks in advancing twenty-six miles, dur- 
ing which time the net was being steadily 
drawn around Burgoyne in the New York wil- 
derness, and when the troops at last marched 
into the city Benjamin Franklin had good rea- 
son for remarking that Howe had not taken 
Philadelphia, but that Philadelphia had taken 
Howe. 

For a week after this event Washington 
remained quietly at Pottsgrove (now Potts- 
town), on the Schuylkill River, about thirty- 
five miles from Philadelphia, watching for an 
opportunity to attack. By this time he had 
learned enough of what was happening in New 
12 161 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

York to make him sure that Burgoyne was 
caught unless speedy assistance reached him, 
and this cheering news determined him to take 
any risk to prevent Howe from starting to the 
rescue. Therefore, the moment he learned 
that his opponent had withdrawn several reg- 
iments to help destroy the forts on the Dela- 
ware River and open the way for the fleet, he 
determined to strike. 

The main body of the British was posted at 
Germantown, a little settlement some six miles 
from Philadelphia, and approachable from 
Pottsgrove by four roads. The town itself 
boasted but one street and this was flanked 
on either side by private residences sur- 
rounded by gardens. Near the head of this 
street stood a handsome stone dwelling belong- 
ing to Mr. Justice Chew, and in the fields in 
front of this house lay the Fortieth Regiment 
commanded by Colonel Musgrave. Farther 
down the street, behind what was known as 
the Market House, other regiments occupied 
strong positions, all within easy support of the 
garrison in Philadelphia, while, for a good 
mile in advance of the Chew Mansion, Howe 
had thrown forward a whole battalion of light 
infantry and a swarm of pickets and sentries. 

162 



A FIGHT IN A FOG 

. The only hope of defeating this well-posted 
force lay in a surprise, and Washington se- 
lected the night of October 3, 1777, for the 
attempt. Starting his men on their long march 
about seven in the evening, he moved them so 
rapidly that they reached their destination be- 
fore sunrise the next morning, and though 
some vague rumors of his advance reached the 
British camp, they excited no alarm. Just 
outside the town he divided his command into 
four columns, assigning each to one of the four 
roads leading into the town, wdth orders that 
they should all press forward at the same mo- 
ment, and pouring in from different directions, 
drive the attack home with a fury that would 
create confusion, divide the enemy, and afford 
an opportunity for overw4ielming its various 
detachments, one at a time. This plan, which 
aimed at nothing less than the destruction of 
the entire British army, was an ambitious and 
daring move, in view of the fact that the 
Americans w^ere outnumbered, but it was well 
thought out, and the four divisions moved to 
their posts full of confidence and hope, John 
Marshall, the future Chief Justice of the 
United States, marching with one of the col- 
umns. By this time, however, a heavy fog 

163 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

hung o\ev the roads and fields, and before 
the fuial advance was fairly started the con- 
verging columns were completely screened 
from each other's view, and the men had to 
grope their way forward with considerable 
caution. 

Down the main road toward the head of the 
street crept the Americans under General An- 
thony Wayne, and before long they struck the 
British sentries and gobbled them up almost 
before they had time to cry out. The surprise 
was complete, bTit as the Americans pressed 
foi-ward, sweeping everything before them, 
they suddenly stum])led upon Colonel Mus- 
grave's Regiment, Avhich sprang to arms, tak- 
ing cover behind fences, walls, and hedges, and 
a fierce struggle followed, the combatants 
fighting at close range and firing at the flashes 
of each other's muskets through the curtain 
of fog. It was only for a moment, however, 
that the onrush was checked and most of the 
Fortieth Regiment was soon flying at top 
speed from the victorious Americans, leaving 
its Colonel and a handful of men practically 
surrounded. 

But Colonel Musgrave, thougli cornered, 
was far from being caught, liis one chance of 

164 



A FIGHT IN A FOG 

escape lay in reaching some shelter where he 
could hold out until reinforcements reached 
him, and, taking it, he made a dash for the 
Chew Mansion immediately behind him, threw 
his men inside, and opened a brisk fire from the 
windows on his pursuers as they leaped for- 
ward out of the fog. For a moment the Amer- 
icans hesitated. The gallant officer and his men 
were completely surrounded and could not pos- 
sibly escape, so a young Virginian lieutenant 
was sent forward with a white flag to demand 
their immediate surrender. Doul)tless they did 
not see his handkerchief, or bit of white rag, m 
the misty light, and before he came withm hail- 
ing distance a musket in one of the upper win- 
dows flashed and the officer fell dead, clutch- 
ing his flag of truce. 

From that instant the fate of the whole en- 
terprise was practically sealed, for Wayne's 
division, instead of leaving the building under 
a sufficient guard and pressing forward a^c- 
cording to Washington's plan, determined to 
avenge what was regarded as the wanton 
murder of their comrade, and bringing up can- 
non they proceeded to batter the house to 
pieces. But the old dwelling was strongly con- 
structed and the cannon balls made but little 

165 



ox THE TKAIL OF WASTTIXOTOX 

impression on its stono walls. EtYorts were 
thou made to set it on tiro and oarrv it by as- 
sault, but Colonel ^[usgrave and his uiou, real- 
izing the temper of their assailants and the 
strength of their owm position, heroically de- 
termined to sell their lives as dearly as pos- 
sible, and the Americans who stopped out of 
the fog bank and within range of their muskets 
courted death. 

Solid shot crashed thro\igh the windows 
and tore the doors apart; plaster and bricks 
How up in dust ; chimneys toppled, and the bar- 
ricades of furniture wore blown to splinters, 
but though rush after rush was made to take 
advantage of these openings, only one man 
reached the windows alive. TndotHl, no U^ss 
than tifty-seven Americans fell under the 
deadly fire that spurted fi'om every looplu^lo 
of the improvised fortress, and every victim 
increased the assailants' rage. The roar of 
this violent mimic battle was, of t'ourso, hoard 
by the other parts of the Continental army, 
and before long several battalions, a brigade, 
and a whole division were hurriedly groping 
their way toward what they sup])osod to be 
the main field of action, each screened from 
the other by the fog. 

166 



A FIGHT IN A FOG 

Up to this momont success was far from 
impossi})lo, for sonic; of the divisions had al- 
ready fallen upon the British and were driv- 
ing them with considerable confusion back 
upon their supports. Indeed, a little pressure 
would undoubtedly have started the panic 
upon which Washington had counted, but the 
bom})ardment of the Ohew Mansion delayed 
Wayne's troops, and before this could be cor- 
rected two of the brigades which were moving 
toward the sound of the cannonading got di- 
rectly behind Wayne's division, and mistaking 
them for the enemy, fired point-blank into 
their ranks, and believing that they were being 
attacked from the rear. Colonel Musgrave's 
besiegers began a retreat. 

Meanwhile the other divisions, finding 
themselves without support, gave way before 
the reenforcements which the r>ritish hurried 
from Philadelphia and something very like a 
panic struck the entire Americian force. For 
a time it seemed as though the day which had 
begun with such brilliant prospects would end 
in utter disaster, but Washington, ably sec- 
onded by Greene, soon got control of the fugi- 
tives, and when Howe started to pursue he 
found the Americans so skillfully posted that 

167 



ON THE TRAIL OF WxVSIIIXGTON 

be retired, well satisfied with liaviiig saved his 
army. 

Washington thereupon withdrew his troops 
in good order, having lost about a thousand 
men, of w^bieb four hundred were taken pris- 
oners, but having inflicted such a blow on the 
enemy that all thought of rescuing Burgoyne 
w^as abandoned, and within tw^o weeks of the 
battle of Germantown that General and bis 
whole army surrendered at Saratoga. 

Gates promptly sent w^ord of this great sue-' 
cess to Congress, without troubling to notify 
bis Commander-in-Chief, w^hose splendid gen- 
eralship bad made the victory possible, but 
Washington scarcely noticing the affront in 
bis joy over the news, sent w^arm congratula- 
tions to the northern army and busied himself 
with keeping How^e penned up in Philadel- 
phia. 

For two months the British Commander 
was in a most uncomfoi-fable position, for the 
American forts still held possession of the 
Delaware River and prevented the tleet from 
reaching the city, and it w^as not mitil those 
forts were taken after a desperate struggle in- 
volving great loss of life that he felt himself 
secure. 

168 



A FIGHT IN A FOG 

l^y this time winter was almost at hand and 
Washington, having posted his army to ad- 
vantage within easy reach of Philadelphia, 
held his adversary so closely in check that all 
active operations ceased for well-nigh a year. 



ruAPrKK^ will 

TuK pla<.'o wliu'h \Vashini;ton had soU\'tOil 
for his Nvintor quarters was about as portVctly 
protoetod a spot as Naturo ovor dovisod. In 
front ot" it tlowod the 8i'huylkill Kivor. whoso 
siioro at this point forniod a natural breast - 
work, and on the west it was guarded by a 
swift-running stream that sup[>lied power for 
an iron mill known as the \' alley Forge. In 
sueh a position it is probable that the arni\- 
might have detied attaek without intreneh- 
ments of any kind, but the men were immedi- 
ately set to work with shovels, pieks, and U\gs, 
and in a short time it fairly bristled with de- 
fenses. Indeed, before the army was perma- 
nently established at this point the Hritish re- 
eonnoitered the whole neighborhood t'or nine 
miles in the hope o\' tinding an opening, but 
gave it up in div^pair. 

^'alley l"\u"ge was not. however, merely a 
170 



A STJUJGCiLK JOR KXISTKNCE 

KnfV; lijivon of r(d'ij^o. It was :i post from 
vvlii<*li W.'isliin^ion could wK^wacit boll) IMiila- 
(l(^lf>lii;i, ;in(l Now Vork. Within t\v(!nty-five 
niil(^s of l^liil;i(l(!lf)lii;i, it was so situated lliat 
ilowci eoiild s(;ar('ely move bfiyorid cannon 
r-jinj^c! witliout fViar'in;^' that tlic American army 
would d('sc(uid on tljc; town, and it was near 
(^n(»ii;f,li i() N(^w York to hold Clinton, wlio had 
})een hd't to ^uard tliat city, well within liis 
lines. In otlier words, tlie checkerboai'd of* 
war showed one piece holding two in check in 
such a manner that iieithfir could be moved 
without ojKjning a way to '* the King row." 

But, tliougli Washington and his men could 
not b(i dislodge^] fi-oni Valley l^^orge })y the 
enemy, they woro almost driven from their 
stronghold dur-ing the first two months of 1778 
by tlui negle(!t and mismanagement of Con- 
gress. With ordinary care and intelligence 
there should have been, and there was, an abun- 
dance of food and clothing for all the needs of 
the army, ])ut su(-h indifference and incompe- 
tence were displayed by those in authority that 
the defenders of the countiy were virtually 
left to perish of cold and hunger. This con- 
dition of affairs was largely due to the fact 
that the ablest repi'esentatives of the Govern- 

171 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

ment had resigned their positions to serve in 
the army or help in the affairs of their o^\^l 
States. In this way the attendance at the 
meetings of Congress had gradually decreased, 
until the whole business was conducted by a 
mere handful of men, sometimes numbei'ing 
less than a dozen, who appointed incapable of- 
ficials whose ignorance and neglect threatened 
the army with destruction. 

When Washington realized this he deter- 
mined not to rely on Congress any longer, and, 
taking matters into his o^^^l hands, he pro- 
ceeded to fight famine and cold as vigorously 
as he had fought the enemy. His experience 
as a planter now stood him in good stead, for 
he had had to build houses and mills, and pro- 
vide for a large nimiber of laborers in his 
farming days, and the knowledge he had 
gained in this way enabled him to make Val- 
ley Forge a habitable, if not a comfortable, 
encampment. Under his directions log huts 
were erected, prizes being offered those sol- 
diers who built the best and neatest shelters; 
streets were planned and laid out, and most 
important of all. General Greene was per- 
suaded to serve as Quartermaster-General 
and procure the necessary food and clothing. 

172 



A STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE 

Greene was essentially a fighting general, 
and the idea of abandoning all chance of 
glory and distinction in the field and under- 
taking the dull work of seeing that the troops 
had something to eat and wear was hateful to 
him. " History never heard of a Quarter- 
master-General! " he exclaimed in disgust, but 
he unselfishly laid aside his own wishes and, 
taking up his disagreeable duties, performed 
them so well that if history never heard of a 
Quartermaster-General before his day, it has 
remembered one ever since. Under his ener- 
getic management the country was scoured 
for provisions, all the available material for 
blankets and clothing was procured, and after 
weeks of desperate work the most pressing 
needs of the troops were met. 

But despite his utmost exertions Washing- 
ton was forced to witness frightful suffering 
among his men. There were no proper accom- 
modations for the wounded, and starvation and 
exposure soon caused diseases that killed 
strong men by the score and spread illness 
throughout his camp, until at times there were 
scarcely enough men fit for duty to guard the 
breastworks. Nevertheless, the resolute com- 
mander struggled to keep his forces together, 

173 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

sharing all their hardships and devoting him- 
self night and day to bettering their condi- 
tion. Inspired by his splendid courage and ex- 
ample, the soldiers bore their privations almost 
without nmrmuring, each occupant of a hut 




WASHINGTON 8 HEADQUARTERS AT VALLEY FORGE AS EXISTING IN 

1909. 

(From a sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 

contributing part of his clothing whenever one 
of his ''bunkies" was ordered on sentry duty, 
and otherwise showing an unselfishness rarely 
equaled in the history of war. During all that 
cruel winter when the huts lay almost buried 
in snow, and the ragged sentries often froze to 
death at their posts, and each day was a living 
death, there were practically no desertions 

174 



A STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE 

among the native-born Americans, and com- 
paratively few of those who were born else- 
where yielded to the temptation of seeking 
comfort with the enemy. No military chief- 
tain ever received a finer tribute than this. 

But while Washington was thus slowly and 
painfully overcoming the difficulties by which 
he was surrounded, he fomid himself con- 
fronted by a peril even more dangerous to the 
American cause. The small group of men who 
now controlled Congress began to complain 
that the army was useless at Valley Forge 
and to demand that the half -starved and al- 
most naked troops be marched against the 
British in Philadelphia, and when the Com- 
mander-in-Chief refused to sacrifice his men 
in this way he was accused of being unwilling 
to fight. Members of Congress who were liv- 
ing in comfortable houses with very little 
knowledge and less thought of the sufferings 
which were daily being endured in camp, then 
commenced to compare the success of Gates 
with Washington's defeats at Brandywine and 
Germantowai, and to hint that a change in the 
commandership of the army might be desir- 
able. 

All this was doubtless done to provoke 
175 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Washington into resigning, but he remained 
silent until he discovered that the man who 
was at the bottom of all the mischief was a dis- 
contented Irish adventurer named Conway, 
and that General Gates himself was secretly 
encouraging this underhanded business with 
the idea of obtaining the chief command. The 
fact was that Gates had by this time fully per- 
suaded himself that the capture of Burgojme 
was due entirely to his generalship, whereas 
no one had much less claim to a share in that 
success than he. Benedict Arnold had done 
most of the real fighting, Schuyler had man- 
aged practically the whole campaign, and 
Washington had kept Howe from going to the 
rescue. But Gates, who had taken command 
only a short time before the surrender, re- 
ceived the official credit of it, and being a weak 
and easily flattered man, it went to his head. 
He therefore began slyly Avorking to make 
Congress dissatisfied with Washington and 
Conway, expecting to be rewarded if Gates 
got the conunand, did his best to persuade all 
with whom he came in contact that AVashing- 
ton was not a fit man for head of the army. 

But even when the Conunander-in-Chief 
knew this, he did not at once expose the plot, 

176 



A STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE 

fearing that a quarrel among the officers might 
have a bad effect on the soldiers and do far 
more damage to the country than all the armies 
of England combined. Finally, however, he 
tactfully allowed Gates to know that he was 
aware of what was going on between him and 
Conway, and in his alarm at being discovered 
Gates took refuge in a series of silly lies which 
showed that he was a coward as well as a sneak 
and placed him in a ridiculous, if not a con- 
temptible, light. This pitiful exposure was 
soon followed by the resignation of Major- 
General Conway from the army and such a 
demonstration of affection for Washington as 
he had never before received from his fellow- 
countrymen. 

Annoying as this petty conspiracy had 
been, the vigilant commander had not allowed 
it to interfere with the work of building up the 
army at Valley Forge, and to his assistance 
late in February, 1778, came one of the ablest 
officers in the Prussian army. This was Baron 
Steuben, who had been on the staff of Fred- 
erick the Great and who, like Lafayette, had 
volunteered to serve without pay or rank. 
Steuben had been accustomed all his life to 
handling highly trained and well-disciplined 
13 177 



ox THE TRAIT. OF WASHINGTON 

troops, but he soon saw that the American 
privates were far more intelligent than the 
rank and file of European troops, and that 
their methods of Indian fighting could be used 
to great advantage if combined with a simple 
drill. He therefore adapted the Prussian tac- 
tics to suit his new pupils and, taking up a 
gun, picked out a squad of the smartest-look- 
ing men and trained them da}^ after day until 
they were prepared to serve as drillmasters 
for their conn*ades. Many amusing stories are 
told of Steuben's struggles with his raw re- 
cruits, for he did not speak very fluent English 
when he first arrived, and between his own 
mistakes and those of his men he frequently 
worked himself into a frenzy of rage, and on 
one occasion he is said to have turned exhaus- 
tedly to a subordinate, remarking in despair, 
**Here, you take dem! I can swear at dem no 
more!" 

Three months of this sort of work made a 
wonderful change in the army whose effective- 
ness was further increased by the formation of 
a small, but exceedingly active, cavalry corps 
under Major Henry Lee, who became well 
known to his own generation as ''Light Horse 
Harry," and better known in later years as the 

178 



A STHUCUiLK 1 OH KXlS'l'KNCE 

father of RohvA-t Jil. Lee, one of the greatest 
soldiers that the world has ever known. 

During the Spring of 1778 a remarkaVjle 
group (d* young officers was assembled at Val- 
ley Forge, — '' Mad Anthony " Wayne, aged 
thirty-three; Lafayette, aged twenty; Hamil- 
ton, aged twenty-one; '* TJght Tlor*se Harry " 
Lee, aged twenty-two; Henry Knox, aged 
twenty-seven; Benedict Arnold, aged thirty- 
seven ; to say nothing of Sullivan, G reene, De 
Kalh, \j()V<\ Stirling, Steuben, and Charles 
Lee, wlio had just been exchanged for an Eng- 
lish pj-ison(;r. 

Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Knox, 
Mrs. Stir'ling, and other ladies were likewise 
present part of the time, and despite the rough 
living th(; conipauy did their best to keej) up 
their spirits with little dinners, sewing parties 
and entertainments of various kinds. Finally, 
on the first of May, when the news arri v(h1 that 
J^'rance had recognized the independence of the 
United States and made an alliance; with them 
against Great Britain, a service of Thanksgiv- 
ing was held, followed by a review of the 
troops, a salute of thirteen guns and a grand 
banquet in the open air, the officers linking 
arms and marching around the tables, thirteen 

179 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

abreast, in honor of the union of the thirteen 
states. 

Echoes of these rejoicings were heard by 
the British outposts, but no one apparently 
understood their meaning and Howe and his 
officers were enjoying themselves so hugely in 
Philadelphia that they did not trouble them- 
selves much about Avhat was going on in the 
camp at Valley Forge. As a matter of fact, 
neither General Howe nor his brother the Ad- 
miral were in sjonpathy with the war and they 
had good reason to believe that England still 
wished and hoped to win back the colonies by 
kindness rather than by force. Up to the time 
of the French Alliance this is probably the 
reason why the British did not do their ut- 
most to crush the Revolution, and it is cer- 
tainly the exj^lanation of Howe's inactivity 
after the capture of Philadelphia. Never had 
the city known such gayety as the English of- 
ficers provided in the winter of 1778, and no- 
where had the visitors been more hospitably 
received. All the youth and beauty of the 
town, rebel and royal, were apparently ready 
to dance with the red-coated company, and 
Howe encouraged his subordinates in making 
life as merry as might be. 
' 180 



A STRUGGLE FOK EXISTENCE 

It was therefore with keen regret that they 
learned of his recall to England, and the fare- 
well fancy dress ball and carnival, in his hon- 
or, which was largely planned by young Cap- 
tain Andre, was probably the finest spectacle 
of the kind which the New World had ever 
seen. Indeed, the only unpleasant feature of 
this memorable night was a rather ominous 
attack on the British outposts, showing that 
if the Americans had not been invited to the 
party they had, at least, not gone to bed. But 
the fact was that the Americans had for some 
time past been proving more and more trouble- 
some, and by this time they had become so 
active that the British foraging parties did not 
dare leave the city except under the protection 
of a full brigade. 

Finally, Sir Henry Clinton, w^ho succeeded 
Howe, realized that if he stayed in Philadel- 
phia much longer, Washington's army, which 
now numbered fifteen thousand, might sur- 
round him and take the town, and he therefore 
determined to retire to New York at the ear- 
liest possible moment. For a while he tarried 
in the hope that the King's Commissioners, 
who had arrived in America with offers to 
grant all that the colonies had asked before the 

181 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

war began, might succeed in securing peace, 
but when they failed to gain more than a re- 
spectful hearing, he busied himself in prepara- 
tions for escape. 

To retreat by land in the presence of Wash- 
ington 's powerful force was dangerous, but to 
attempt the journey by sea was even more so, 
as his opponents might reach New York before 
him. Moreover, if he used the fleet for his 
troops he would have to desert the loyal citi- 
zens who had placed themselves under his pro- 
tection and were clamoring at the thought of 
being left behind. There was nothing to be 
done, therefore, but attempt an overland 
march ; so with the American cavalry already 
hovering on the outskirts of the town, he 
started northward at da\vn on June 18, 1778, 
and by nightfall Benedict Arnold was in 
charge of Philadelphia and Washington was 
in full pursuit of the retreating enemy. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

THE HUNTER HUNTED 

The retreat of the British gave Washing- 
ton an opportmiity such as he had never had 
since the war began, for with prompt action 
there was more than a fair chance of destroy- 
ing their main army. Only about eighteen 
months earlier he and his handful of cold and 
hungry men, with no baggage but knapsacks, 
had scurried across the freezing Jersey flat 
lands, barely escaping Cornwallis's eager 
clutch. Now the hunter was being hunted, for 
Clinton and Cornwallis, with the Americans at 
their heels, were struggling through the same 
country but under a broiling sununer sun and 
a cloud of choking dust, with a baggage train 
nearly twelve miles long. 

It required no great military genius to 
grasp the possibilities of this situation, but 
when Washington called a council of war to 
decide upon the best method of attack. General 

183 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Charles Lee declared himself unalterably op- 
posed to any attack at all. The enemy was re- 
treating — let them go and speed their going, 
was his astonishing advice, and his military 
reputation was still so highly respected in the 
army that the majority of the officers agreed 
with him. 

Had Washington been of a suspicious na- 
ture this strange advice might have put him 
on his guard, for the situation ought to have 
been obvious to any soldier of Lee's experience. 
But though he had not forgotten the man's 
disobedience of orders on the retreat to the 
Delaware, Washington had long since forgiven 
it and he was, of course, utterly ignorant of the 
fact that Lee had, within fifteen months, ac- 
tually provided Howe with a written plan of 
campaign against the Americans, for this 
damning proof of his treachery was to remain 
hidden for many years. Therefore, when the 
Commander-in-Chief, su^^ported by Greene, 
Hamilton, Wayne, Lafayette, and others, de- 
cided to overrule the adverse vote and make an 
immediate attack, the command of the advance 
guard was offered to Lee, to which post his 
rank and age entitled him. 

Then Providence kindly intervened in 
184 



THE HUNTER HUNTED 

favor of the American cause, for Lee, dis- 
gusted at the action of his superior, declined 
the command and Lafayette was immediately 
appointed in his place. Fortunate would it 
have been for Lee had his career ended with 
this refusal of duty in the presence of the 
enemy ; and fortunate would it have been for 
both England and America. But fate willed 
it otherwise, for after Lafayette had started, 
Lee repented and asked to be reinstated, with 
the result that the young Marquis yielded to 
him at Washington's suggestion, and before 
the advance guard overtook the British he was 
once more in command. 

By June 28, 1778, the English forces had 
reached Monmouth Court House, about half- 
way between Trenton and Sandy Hook, to- 
ward which they were painfully crawling, men 
and horses fairly gasping in the terrific heat. 
Indeed, some of the heavily clad soldiers died 
like parched cattle in attempting to satisfy 
their thirst at the brooks and streams, and oth- 
ers were sunstruck or straggled from the line 
of march. Yet Clinton did not dare to halt. Al- 
ready the Americans were beginning to over- 
lap his columns and threaten his line of re- 
treat, and his officers were seriously advising 

185 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

tlie destruction of his ponderous wagon train 
and a hasty flight to save the army. But the 
British General, although fully aware of his 
peril, was not yet ready for such desperate 
measures. Forming his troops into two di- 
visions, he assigned one to Knyphausen, with 
orders to guard the baggage and push on with 
it to Sandy Hook with all possible speed, while 
he retained the other under his own command 
to cover the retreat. 

Here was the moment for which Washing- 
ton had watched and waited for well-nigh 
thi'ee years. With an army of almost fifteen 
thousand men behind him and a divided force 
in his front, he had only to strike with his 
whole strength to thrust Clinton out of his 
path and hurl himself on Knyphausen, encum- 
bered by his miles of slow-moving wagon 
trains. But the agonizing fact was that a mis- 
creant who had not the courage to be an open 
traitor, was in a position to wreck his plan. 
The orders which Lafayette had received on 
setting out were clear and positive. He was to 
attack the enemy and take advantage of every 
opening to impede and annoy them, and Lee 
followed with further orders to attack vigor- 
ously, with the idea of getting on Clinton's 

186 



THE HUNTER HUNTED 

flank and between him and Knypliausen, but in 
any case to keep the rear guard hotly en- 
gaged until the rest of the army could come up 
and drive the attack home. 

Clinton, though not a brilliant soldier, had 
no difficulty in understanding Washington's 
plan when he was advised of the approach of 
Lee's troops. A cloud of skirmishers in linen 
hunting costumes, which he recognized as 
Morgan's rifle corps, had been bothering his 
men for some days and he knew from this that 
the American commander was not far away. 
He therefore saw that if Lee got between him 
and the rest of his army a retreat would be 
difficult and that his only chance lay in defeat- 
ing the advance guard before Washington ar- 
rived. As a forlorn hope, he accordingly faced 
about, and, ordering part of Cornwallis's force 
to support him without waiting to be attacked, 
moved rapidly forward to meet his foe, many 
of his men falling dead from the heat long be- 
fore they came within firing range. It was a 
bold and courageous move, but had the Amer- 
icans been under other guidance, the result 
would probably have been disastrous, for 
Wayne and Lafayette were posted where they 
could have played havoc with the approaching 

187 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

columns. Indeed, they had not fully disclosed 
themselves to the enemy, ])ut were waiting to 
sti'ike, when, to their amazement, Lee directed 
a retreat. 

Astounded as they were by this order, the 
two young commanders obe3^ed, falling back to 
a ridge from which they supposed Lee pre- 
ferred to stop the enemy's advance, but to 
theii' utter chagrin a further retreat was 
ordered, the j^uzzled regiments giving way 
with increasing confusion as the British ap- 
proached. Up to this time scarcely a shot had 
been fired, but now a shower of bullets began 
to fall on the retreating troops, who, huddled 
together, had no opportunity to defend them- 
selves. Meanwhile messengers had been Inir- 
ried to Washington informing him of what 
was happening, and before long he was among 
the fljdng troops demanding that Lee explain 
the meaning of his senseless retreat. 

Years of experience in the field had long 
since taught Washington the value of calnniess 
and few of his officers had ever seen him show 
any outward signs of anger. But his eyes 
blazed fiercely as he listened to Lee's shuffling 
excuses, and as they were still being stammered 
forth he ])urst into a rage wliicli fairly friglit- 

188 




o 

w 

l-H 

H 
H 

w 
w 

H CO 

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O oj 

<^ s 
w 

O 
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o 

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THE HUNTER HUNTED 

ened those about him and, brushing the culprit 
aside, ordered him instantly from the field. 
Then, with a thundered command to his staff, 
he dashed forward, stopped the fugitives and 
hastened to re-form their broken ranks. There 
was no time to lose, for the British, exulting in 
their easy victory, were pressing on with a 
vigor which threatened to create a panic. 

But now Steuben's training effected what 
personal bravery alone could not have accom- 
plished, and the men, stripping off all their 
superfluous clothes and responding quickly to 
\ their officers' commands, fought like veterans 
Mo regain the lost ground. Behind a group 
of farmhouses and under cover of fences, a 
swarm of unerring marksmen stopped the bat- 
talion of English Grenadiers just as they swept 
forward in a vigorous bayonet charge, which 
earlier in the war would have carried the day ; 
Greene seized a range of hillocks and, planting 
his cannon to advantage, poured a deadly fire 
upon the shattered lines; " Mad Anthony " 
Wayne, in his element when danger threat- 
ened and daring was required, pushed forward 
with conspicuous gallantry, driving the enemy 
before him, and the royal cavalry were almost 
cut to pieces. 

189 



ox THE TRxVIL OF WxVSHINGTON 

AVashingtoii was everywhere in the thick- 
est of the light. " I never saw the General 
to so much advantage," declared Hamilton. 
*' America owes a great deal to him for this 
day's work. By his OA\m presence he brought 
order out of confusion, animated his troops 
and led them to success." All this time the 
rest of the American army was pouring on to 
the field and fighting desperately, Clinton's 
troops were pushed farther and farther back 
until all the lost ground was regained, and a 
general pursuit was beginning along the whole 
line when darkness put an end to the struggle. 

Washington thereupon ordered his men to 
pass the night on the battle field, just where 
they were, in readiness to resume the contest 
at daybreak, and Clinton's exliausted army lay 
on its arms only a few hundred rods away. 
Doubtless the Commander-in-Chief and his 
generals did not sleep much during that swel- 
tering night, but as they lay on the ground 
l^lamiing for the morrow, the British were 
creeping away, and by sunrise the two divi- 
sions of their army were again reunited. 

This was a bitter disappointment to Wash- 
ington, for had Clinton not made this skillful 
retreat just in the nick of time, the war might 

190 



THE HUNTER HUNTED 

possibly have been ended with his defeat. 
However, there was nothing to be gained by 
pursuing him to Sandy Hook, where he would 
be supported by the fleet. So, placing Lee 
under arrest to face a court-martial which 
suspended him from the army in disgrace, 
Washington started his forces toward the 
Hudson. Then learning that a French fleet 
was approaching, he sent Hamilton and an- 
other officer to arrange with its commander 
for a joint attack on New York and, moving 
with his troops to White Plains, arrived there 
on July 20, 1778, and prepared for battle. 



CHAPTER XXV 

DISAPPOINTMENTS AND DEFEATS 

The appearance of the Frencli squadi'on 
under Count d'Estaing, off the port of New 
York, afforded the first opportunity which 
America and France had had for acting to- 
gether agair.st the common enemy, and the 
ships had arrived at a most favorable moment. 
Inside the harbor the British had only a few 
men-of-war, and outside the city Washington 
had a formidable army. To his bitter disap- 
pointment, however, the Commander-in-Chief 
soon learned that Count d'Estaing refused to 
join in an attack against the city, on the 
ground that the chamiel of the harbor was 
not deep enough to allow his vessels to enter 
with safety, and all hope of capturing the town 
instantly vanished. It was then proposed that 
the French should sail to Newport and assist 
the Americans in driving the British from that 
place, and Washington accordingly ordered 

102 



DISAPPOINTMENTS AND DEFEATS 

General Sullivan to march there, accompanied 
by Lafayette and a strong body of troops. 

The French fleet arrived at Newport to- 
ward the last of July, 1778, and prompt action 
would undoubtedly have resulted in an impor- 
tant victory. But Sullivan and d'Estaing did 
not work well together from the very start, 
and before their preparations were completed 
a British fleet under Lord Howe appeared off 
the harbor and the French sailed out to meet 
it, but a wild storm soon scattered the combat- 
ants and gave them all they could do to save 
themselves from shipwreck. Indeed, when 
d'Estaing 's vessels crawled back into the 
harbor again, they were so badly damaged that 
their commander insisted on taking them to 
Boston for repairs, without waiting to finish 
the task which he and Sullivan had begun. 
The American officers indignantly protested 
that this would ruin the whole expedition, as 
they had not brought sufficient troops to attack 
the enemy unassisted, and Lafayette urged his 
countrymen to wait, but all arguments were in 
vain. The Frenchmen thereupon sailed away ; 
the British attacked Sullivan's little army as 
soon as they saw it was deserted, and the cam- 
paign ended in an inglorious retreat. 
u 193 



0.\ THE TRAIL OF A\ ASIIINGTON 

This second failure to give any practical 
assistance disgusted and enraged the Ameri- 
cans, and for a time they despised the French 
almost as cordially as they did the Hessians. 
Everyone understood that it was not love for 
America but hatred of England which had in- 
duced the French King to offer his assistance, 
and such was the popular resentment against 
d'Estaing that had it not been for Washing- 
ton's tactful interference, the alliance with 
France would have come to an end then and 
there. Even as it was, some of the French 
sailors were killed by a mob before the author- 
ities controlled the situation, and it was many 
a long day before the two countries attempted 
to act together again. 

Meanwhile Lafayette returned to France 
to visit his family and endeavor to persuade 
his government to send more effective aid to 
the United States, and Washington, with his 
army securely posted at White Plains and at 
other points around New York, had to content 
himself with guarding the Hudson and holding 
the British practically within the city. This 
he did for almost a year, but late in the Spring 
of 1779 Clinton made an effort to break his op- 
ponent's grip by moving up the Hudson and 

194 



DISAPPOINTMENTS AND DEFEATS 

capturing Stony Point, within a fcAV miles of 
West Point, the strongest American fortress 
on the river. Washington instantly saw the 
danger of this move, and under his orders 
Wayne stormed and retook the place at the 
point of the bayonet, making the entire garri- 
son prisoners, and a little later " Light Horse 
Harry " Lee moved down to Paulus Hook, the 
site of the present Jersey City, and, surpris- 
ing the British fort at that point, captured it 
with a goodly part of its defenders. This was 
apparently sufficient to convince Clinton that 
he could not dislodge his opponent, and he re- 
mained quietly within his own lines for the 
remainder of the year. 

But though there was no activity in the 
field, Washington had a constant struggle to 
keep his army properly clothed and fed, for 
Congress continued to neglect its duties and 
all its business speedily fell into much the same 
condition as had existed during the winter at 
Valley Forge. Moreover, to make matters 
worse, the authorities in Philadelphia started 
a serious dispute with General Benedict Ar- 
nold. Arnold was still suffering from a severe 
womid which he had received during his bril- 
liant campaign against Burgoyne, and not be- 

195 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

ing yet in fit condition to resume his duties in 
the field, Washington had placed him in com- 
mand of the city on the withdrawal of the Brit- 
ish. Here his friendship for some of the Tory 
residents, and his engagement to Miss Mar- 
garet Shippen, the daughter of a loyalist, soon 
gave offense to mam^ of the patriotic but nar- 
row-minded and prejudiced local officials and 
they expressed their opinion of his conduct in 
no micertain temis. 

Arnold hotty resented this criticism, and 
his high temper speedily led to a bitter dis- 
pute, with the result that certain officials with 
^^'hom he had quarreled took advantage of the 
situation to vent their petty spite by bringing 
charges against him and persecuting him by 
every means which malice could invent. Even 
when the gallant hero of Sai'atoga was trium- 
phantly acquitted by the Committee of In- 
vestigation, appointed by Congress, they tried 
to rob him of his vindication by ordering him 
court-martialed, and then denying him the 
right to a speedy hearing by postponements 
and delays which mocked justice and discred- 
ited the whole proceedings. 

This sorry business dragged on during 
most of the year 1779, and though Washington 

196 



DISAPPOINTMENTS AND DEFEATS 

deplored it and sympathized with Arnold, he 
was unable to interfere. Finally, when the 
court-martial exonerated the accused officer, 
but absurdly demanded that he be publicly 
reprimanded for two trivial, technical offenses, 
the Commander-in-Chief so worded his official 
reproof that it w^as an honor rather than a dis- 
grace. But this was very little comfort to Ar- 
nold, who, from that time on, brooded over 
his wrongs and, bitterly hating his persecutors, 
resolved to avenge himself upon them, no mat- 
ter what it cost. 

The year 1780 thus opened badly for the 
American cause, and before long disasters 
began to multiply. Late in December of the 
previous year Clinton had accompanied Corn- 
waUis to invade South Carolina, and the 
Southern States, which had until that time 
practically escaped the ravages of war, now 
experienced all the horrors of a civil conflict, 
for there were almost as many royalists as 
there were rebels in the South, and neighbors, 
and even relatives, fought savagely against 
each other. 

The American forces in South Carolina 
were commanded by General Lincoln, and by 
May, 1780, he was maneuvered into a bad posi- 

197 



ox THE TRAIL OF \\ ASIIINGTON 

tion at Charleston and captured with his whole 
army. Then Congress, in June, appointed 
Gates as his successor, against Washington's 
wishes and advice, and by August he had been 
so shamefully routed at the battle of Camden 
that his reputation as a general was ruined. 
Indeed, he fled from the field with such haste 
on that occasion that he left his army miles be- 
hind him, with the result that he was openly 
accused of cowardice and held iu derision and 
contempt. Thus ended the career of the man 
who had taken all the credit of Burgoj^ie's 
surrender from those who deserved it, and had 
plotted to deprive Washing-ton of the chief 
command. 

Meanwhile Lafayette had returned from 
France with the cheering news that a strong 
amiy and fleet would soon be placed at the 
service of the ^Vmericans, but when General 
Rochambeau arrived at New]3ort in July, 1780, 
with the first instalhnent of this promised re- 
enforcement, he refused to move until the rest 
of his men arrived, and it was soon apparent 
that they never would arrive. Before he 
learned, however, that they were bottled up l)y 
a British squadron in a French port, another 
English fleet blocked him in Newport, and for 

198 



DISAPPOINTMENTS AND DEFEATS 

the third time, the allies failed to render any 
practical assistance. 

It was at this crisis that General Arnold 
requested Washington to give him command 
of West Point, the key to the American posi- 
tion on the Hudson, and upon the Commander- 
in-Chief's ready compliance with that request 
the darkest hour of the Revolution dawned. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

A DESPERATE PERIL 

Washixgtox doubtless rejoiced at Ar- 
nold's arrival on the Hudson. Almost from 
the beginning of the war he had looked upon 
him as one of the ablest generals mider his 
command, and during the years that had inter- 
vened their acquaintance had ripened into 
warm personal friendship. To feel that AVest 
Point was in such safe hands, therefore, re- 
lieved the Commander-in-Chief of one of his 
anxieties at a time when the burden of his re- 
sponsibilities was becoming almost more than 
any one man could bear. Indeed, Washing- 
ton and his army were about all that remained 
of the Revolution after the disasters in the 
South, for Congress had lost all energy and 
the peojjle were plainly tiring of a contest 
which had alread}' lasted four years and 
seemed as though it would nevei* end. Busi- 
ness was practically at a standstill, and iVmeri- 

200 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

can paper mone}^ liacl become so useless that a 
hat cost about a thousand Continental dollars, 
and the phrase '' not worth a Continental " 
expressed the popular contempt of its value. 

Against this indifference, nervelessness, 
and general languor Washington contended 
with all the dauntless courage of a master of 
men. When hope died out in one direction he 
resolutely sought it in another ; when Congress 
sank into helplessness he fairly shook the rep- 
resentatives of the Government into action, 
and persisted in his demands until he shamed 
or otherwise forced them to provide for the sol- 
diers in the field, and keep the country in a 
state of defense. With tireless energy and in- 
exhaustible patience he worked day after day 
at the seemingly hopeless task of holding the 
crumbling Government together, and, in spite 
of all obstacles, he did things or got them done 
when everyone else despaired. Indeed, the 
hundreds upon hundreds of letters which 
poured from his pen at this critical period go 
far to demonstrate that he was the only real 
governing force in the country, and had he 
been killed or captured during 1780 or 1781, it 
is hardly probable that the Revolution would 
have survived a day. 

201 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

The amount of work which he perfoniicd 
during those years is simpl}^ marvelous; its 
variety is almost beyond belief. But in the 
mass of his correspondence, which has been 
preserved, dealing with army supplies, cam- 
paign jilans, politics, dijDlomacy, finance, and 
countless other sul^jects, there are quiet, home- 
like letters giving directions for the manage- 
ment of Blount Vernon, and bearing messages 
to his loved ones — all written with scarcely a 
sign of haste. Those who complain that they 
have not time to do what they ouglit to do, 
should read a few volumes of Washington's 
letters and note what he accomplished with no 
more hours at his conmiand than other people 
have. 

With such a pressure of work upon him, it 
is no wonder then that the Commander-in- 
Chief welcomed the presence of a trusted of- 
ficer like Arnold. The disasters in the South 
and the increasing weariness of the whole 
country warned him that something must be 
done to relieve the situation. He had, there- 
fore, long been anxious to consult with the 
French General Rochambeau and plan a cam- 
paign against Now York, with the idea of 
capturing that city, or at least of forcing Corn- 

202 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

wallis to leave the South and come to its rescue. 
But to travel to Newport, where Rochambeau 
was stationed, would consume some time, and 
if the enemy were to learn of his absence 
and take advantage of it, he felt that he would 
be justly criticised for not being on the 
spot. With Arnold at hand, however, he 
felt more secure, and he therefore requested 
Rochambeau to meet him halfway at Hart- 
ford, and started for that city on September 
18, 1780. 

Meanwhile Arnold had been steadily nurs- 
ing his gi'ievances against his enemies in Con- 
gress, and his plans had so far taken shape that 
he had written letters to Clinton, under an as- 
sumed name, advising him that an American 
officer of high rank was ready to help the Brit- 
ish end the w^ar if he could be assured of suffi- 
cient reward. For a time Clinton could not 
believe that the ^\T?iter of this letter w^as Ar- 
nold, but when he became convinced of this, 
arrangements were made to reward him ^^^th 
a generalship in the British army and a large 
sum of money, provided he could guarantee 
the capture of West Point. But with Wash- 
ing-ton watching him this was more than the 
traitor could do, so for weeks he waited, seek- 

203 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

ing a favorable opportunity to carry his plans 
into effect. 

His delight at Wasliington's departure, 
therefore, ma}' well be imagined. This was 
just the chance for wiiich he had been longing, 
and his commander's back was scarcely turned 
before he hurried a despatch to Clinton, advis- 
ing him to perfect the details of the plan with- 
out a moment's delay. The British commander 
promptly responded by ordering his Adjutant- 
General, Andre, to proceed up the Hudson on 
the Vulture as far as that war vessel could 
go, giving him full authority to meet the 
traitor and make whatever arrangements were 
necessary. 

Andre was one of the most popular young 
officers in the British army, and his handsome 
face and charming manners had won him 
many friends in Philadelphia, to whose pleas- 
ure he had greatly added during his stay in 
that city. Indeed, Arnold's wife, \vho was 
then the reigning belle of the town, had often 
been his partner in the dinners and balls which 
distinguished that gay winter. In those days 
he had merely been a Captain, but now he was 
a Major, and the Adjutant-General of the 
army, and as such he was entirely in Clinton's 

204 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

confidence, and under the name of John An- 
derson he had written all the answers which 
the traitor had received. His commander, 
therefore, merely instructed him to complete 
the business, at the same time warning him not 
to enter the American lines or carry papers or 
disguise himself in any way. 

Andre accordingly started on his mission, 
and two days after Washington's departure 
he sailed up the Hudson, landed at night a few 
miles below Stony Point and, meeting Arnold 
in a neighboring wood, listened to the traitor's 
plans. By dawn the conspirators were still 
perfecting the details of their plot, and the 
boatmen who had taken Andre ashore, refus- 
ing to take him back after sunrise, he and 
Arnold were compelled to take refuge in a 
house owned by a man named Joshua Smith, 
well within the American lines. They had 
scarcely gained this shelter, however, when a 
most alarming sound of cannonading reached 
their ears, and springing to the windows they 
perceived that one of the American shore bat- 
teries had opened fire on the Vulture and that 
that vessel was rapidly dropping down the 
river to get out of range. Aghast as he was at 
this discovery, Andre knew that the ship had 

205 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTOX 

orders not to return to New York without him, 
and, feeling sure that she would not go far, 
he arranged with Arnold to have Smith row 
him out to the sloop-of-war as soon as night 
came on. 

Meanwhile the two conspirators arranged 
their plot in greater detail, and Andre secured 
a number of papers in Arnold's handwriting, 
giving the plans of the fort and other informa- 
tion. It was further agreed that Arnold 
should pretend to repair the chain which was 
stretched across the river to prevent the pas- 
sage of vessels and, removing some of its mid- 
dle links, tie the ends together with a light 
rope which any war ship could easily break, 
and that he should also so post the troops that 
West Point would be defenseless. 

The capture of the fortress being thus 
assured, the traitor then dej^arted, but l)y 
nightfall Andre's guide lost his courage and 
declined to trust himself in front of the Amer- 
ican batteries. It would be far safer, he de- 
clared, to cross the river and travel down the 
other side on horseback. Andre did not like 
this plan, forliis British uiiifiti'in, wliicli would 
attract no attention in a boat at night, <'()uld 
not 1)0 worn on the ovoi-land trip, and his 

206 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

papers, which he had intended to weight with 
a stone, ready to sink in the water if necessary, 
could not be so easily destroj^ed if he adopted 
Smith's advice. However, Arnold had pro- 
vided him with passes for either land or water 
and, rather than lose any more time, he agreed 
to follow his guide, and, partially disguising 
himself in some of Smith's clothes and stow- 
ing his papers in his shoes, he crossed the river 
and started southward on the night of Sep- 
tember 22d. 

How much, or how little, Smith knew con- 
cerning his companion is uncertain, but he 
soon proved himself a very cautious person, 
and before many miles had been covered he 
halted, declaring there were too many '' Cow- 
boys " and *' Skinners " about to make night 
traveling safe. Andre knew all about the 
** Cowboys," a lawless band of robbers who in- 
fested Westchester County, pretending to 
favor the British, and he had doubtless heard 
of the *' Skinners," the highwaymen who 
posed as American soldiers, but he was utterly 
disgusted with Smith's timidity, and after an 
anxious night at a wayside house, he insisted 
upon pushing forward without further delay. 
But Smith still continued nervous, and the 

207 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

young officer, becoming exasperated at the 
waste of precious time, decided to shift for 
himself. 

Dismissing his guide, therefore, he hur- 
ried on toward Tarryto^vn, feeling that his 
adventures were almost at an end and that he 
would soon be safely within the British lines. 
He had not progressed far, however, before 
three shabbily dressed fellows sprang from a 
thicket by the roadside and leveling their 
muskets, commanded him to halt. Startled as 
he nmst have been, Andre behaved with great 
coolness, and observing, as he reined in his 
horse, that one of the party wore a Hessian 
coat, he inquired if they were supporters *' of 
the lower (loyal) party," and was told that 
the}^ were. Thereupon he announced that he 
was a British officer who was traveling on im- 
portant business which would not admit of a 
moment's delay; but the words had scarcely 
fallen from his lips when he was informed 
that the men were Americans and that he was 
their prisoner. 

Dangerous as the situation was, Andre did 
not 3^et despair of effecting his escape, and 
feeling certain that his captors must be "Skin- 
ners," who would let him go as soon as they 

208 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

had robbed him of all his valuables, he showed 
them Arnold's pass and offered them his watch 
and purse to let him proceed at once. Had the 
men been " Skinners " this would doubtless 







MONUMENT MARKING SPOT WHERE ANDRE WAS CAPTURED NEAR 

TARRYTOWN, N. Y. 

(From a sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 



have satisfied them, but being loyal Americans 
it sounded like a bribe and from that instant 
Andre's fate was sealed, for they straightway 
searched him and, finding the papers in his 
shoes, marched him to the nearest outpost. 
15 209 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Here the commander, Colonel Jameson, ex- 
amined the papers, but not believing that Ar- 
nold could have anything to do with them, he 
ordered the prisoner taken to West Point and 
despatched the documents to Washington. 

Andre's relief at this turn of affairs may 
well be imagined, for once in Arnold's hands 
he was safe, and there would be plenty of time 
to escape before the plot was exposed. But, 
unfortunately for these hopes, another officer 
now arrived on the scene. This was Major 
Benjamin Tallmadge, a graduate of Yale and, 
strange to say, a classmate of Nathan Hale, 
and the moment he read the papers he urged 
Colonel Jameson to hold Andre and give no 
report to Arnold until further orders from 
Washington. Jameson partially took this ad- 
vice, for he hurried out a squad of cavalry 
who overtook Andre and his escort on the road 
and ordered them to halt where they were, Init 
he sent a despatch to Arnold informing him 
that a man calling himself John Anderson had 
been captured carrying suspicious papers in 
his shoes. 

Meanwhile tlio other messenger with the 
proofs of Ai'uold's guilt was galloping to Hart- 
ford, and had Washington staj'ed there as long 

210 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

as he had intended the papers would have 
speedily reached his hands. He had, however, 
soon learned from Rochambeau that the 
French were in no condition to join in the 
proposed campaign against Clinton and that 
further consultation would be a waste of time. 
Therefore, as Jameson's messenger was hur- 
rying to Hartford, the Commander-in-Chief 
was traveling in the opposite direction, and 
having taken different roads they passed each 
other on the way. Still, Washington was ap- 
proaching West Point three days earlier than 
he was expected, and when he reached Fishkill 
on September 24th, he stopped at the very inn 
where Joshua Smith (Andre's ex-guide) was 
staying, and actually had a conversation with 
the man. The next day he moved down the 
river early and stopped with Knox to inspect 
some earthworks, while Hamilton and another 
officer crossed to Arnold's headquarters at the 
Robinson House, nearly opposite West Point, 
to advise him that the General was on his way 
to breakfast with him. 

This unwelcome news must have been high- 
ly disturbing to the traitor, but knowing noth- 
ing of Andre's capture, he still felt that his 
plans were certain to succeed, for Washington 

211 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

-sYOuld hardly have time to discover the de- 
fenseless condition of the fortress before the 
British attacked as this event was scheduled 
for that very day. But while he and Mrs. Ar- 
nold sat at the breakfast table with their 
guests, momentarily expecting AVashington 
and Knox, a despatch-bearer arrived and 
handed a letter to Arnold. It was Jameson's 
message that a certain John Anderson was in 
his hands. 

Arnold was talking as he opened the letter, 
but he stopped when his eyes fell on its con- 
tents, and then quietly folding it and put- 
ting it in his pocket, he continued his sentence 
just Avhere he had been interrupted. With the 
same cool self-control he carelessly observed 
that he was summoned to West Point but 
would be back directly, and bidding his guests 
excuse him, he left the room. Once outside 
the door, however, he darted upstairs, told his 
wife, who had followed him, that he was a lost 
man, laid her fainting on a bed, hurried to the 
water front, leaped into his barge and ordered 
the oarsmen to row for their lives down the 
river, where, after an eighteen-mile pull, he 
found the Vulture and was received on board 
to tell his sorry tale. 

212 



A DESPERATE PERIL 

Meanwhile Washington arrived at Ar- 
nold's headquarters and, learning that he had 
been called to West Point, immediately turned 
to follow him. At the fort, however, he was 
informed that the General had not appeared, 
and the puzzled Commander-in-Chief once 
more sought him at his residence. Meantime 
the despatch rider, who had journeyed all the 
way to Hartford and back, had dashed up, and 
Hamilton held the proof of Arnold's guilt in 
his hands when his superior again approached 
the house. 

One glance at the documents was sufficient 
to disclose the terrible truth. But, shocked 
and grieved as he was, Washington wasted no 
time in idle words. The situation was critical 
and he instantly controlled it. A sharp order 
to Hamilton to pursue and capture Arnold; 
quick, clear commands to his Aides to put all 
officers on their guard against a surprise; a 
swift, calm inspection of West Point, and 
an instant rearrangement of all the troops 
defending it; a tense, heartbroken whisper, 
" Whom can we trust now? " — and Wash- 
ington was ready, sword in hand, for all the 
enemies of his country. 

Four days later Andre was tried by a mili- 
213 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

tary commission and sentenced to death as a 
spy, Greene, Lafayette, Steuben, and other dis- 
tinguished officers acting as his judges. Great 
efforts were made to save his life, but the fact 
that he liad been found within the American 
lines, partially disguised and bearing infor- 
mation to the enemy, made a defense difficult. 
Washington accordingly refused to set aside 
the unanimous verdict of the court and the 
young man died displaying the same courage 
and calnmess that Nathan Hale had displayed 
only a few years before. To his worth as a 
man and a soldier the Commander-in-Chief 
paid his token of respect, but Arnold's name 
he never willingly allowed to cross his lips 
again. 



CHAPTER XXYII 

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST YOEKTOWN 

Shortly after Arnold fled to the British, 
the first cheering news which had been re- 
ceived from the South since Cornwallis had 
invaded it reached Washington, for the Ameri- 
cans achieved a considerable success at the bat- 
tle of King's Mountain, North Carolina in Oc- 
tober, 1780. It was not a very wonderful vic- 
tory, but it proved a turning point in the war, 
for Gates having retired, Congress authorized 
Washington to appoint his successor, and he 
inmiediately selected Nathanael Greene, send- 
ing him all the troops which could possibly be 
spared from the North. This was the reward 
for which Greene had been patiently waiting. 
Year after year he had faithfully labored as 
Quartermaster-General of the army, a most 
distasteful and tiresome duty, but now his 
chance had come and he resolved to make the 
most of it. Indeed, the whole situation in the 

215 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

South began to cliange almost from the mo- 
ment he arrived upon the scene, and. in a 
masterly campaign of less than four months' 
duration he so thoroughl}^ outmaneuvered 
his opponents that early in the S])ring of 
1781 Cornwallis was forced from the Car- 
olinas and retired to try his fortimes in Vir- 
ginia. 

Meanwhile Washington had been continu- 
ing his desperate struggle to hold the army to- 
gether on the Hudson. It was a wretchedly 
familiar business, but he kept at it with grim 
determination, and by unceasing exertions he 
managed to instill enough life and energy into 
Congress to keep his troops in the field. For a 
time, however, it seemed as though the end had 
come, for so badly were the men fed and 
clothed, that some of the Pennsylvania troops 
actually mutinied, and it was with the greatest 
difficulty that they were finally persuaded by 
the State officials to return to their duties. But 
this dangerous episode had the effect of arous- 
ing Congress to the necessity of affording some 
relief, and when another mutiny ])roke out — 
this time, among the New Jersey troops — 
Washing-ton was in a i)osition to maintain dis- 
cipline, and he did it with such promptness 

216 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST YORKTOWN 

and severity that no fui'ther disturbances oc- 
curred. 

Thus the winter of 1781 passed away, and 
when Spring came, with the news that the Brit-\ 
ish were overrunning his own State, burning 
and pkmdering almost at will, the Commander- 
in-Chief was sorely tempted to go to the res- 
cue, but knowing that the defense of the Hud- 
son was far more important than the protec- 
tion of Virginia, he remained where he was./ 
Even when he heard that the enemy were close 
to Momit Vernon, and he expected at any time 
to receive word that his dearly loved home had 
been destroyed, he resisted the inclination to 
help his own people at the expense of the na- 
tion. Indeed, when he learned that Mount 
Vernon had been saved by one of his relatives 
who supplied the British officers with provi- 
sions and afforded them other courtesies, he 
wrote an indignant letter to his kinsman de- 
claring that he would rather the house had 
been burned and the plantation ruined than 
that any representative of his should have 
shown favor to the enemy, or sought their pro- 
tection. The fortunes of war had brought the 
foe to his gates and he was ready and willing to 
share the misfortunes of his fellow-country- 

217 



ON THE TRAIL OF WxVSHINGTOX 

men without claiming or desiring any priv- 
ileges which were not extended to all the 
people. 

For a time the British were practically un- 
opposed in Virginia, but when the traitor 
Arnold was sent there, Washington ordered 
Lafayette to watch and check him as far as 
possible. But before long, Cornwallis ap- 
peared with reenforcements and the young 
French conmiander could do but little for sev- 
eral weeks but delay the movements of the 
enemy. Even Avhen he was joined by Wajme 
and Steuben, the British far outnumbered 
him, but he boldly attacked them at Green 
Springs, and although his little army was re- 
pulsed, it kept at the enemy's heels, and do 
what he would, Cornwallis could not shake it 
off. Washington was well aware, however, 
that unless something was done to call the 
British away from the South they would soon 
collect a force which would sweep the whole 
country, and all that Greene had gained would 
speedily be lost. He therefore held a confer- 
ence with Rochambeau at Wethersfield, Con- 
necticut, toward the end of May, 1781, and 
arranged with him for such a determined 
attack ujjon New York that the enemy would 

218 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST YORKTOWN 

be forced to witlidi'aw its troops from the 
South, and Greene would be aljle to reap the 
fruits of his victories. 

Here again, as at Brandywine and Ger- 
mantown, Washington was not attempting to 
make a brilliant stroke which would win ap- 
plause or fame for himself alone. He was 
willing to have his own attack fail if he could 
relieve the pressure on another part of his 
line. He believed in unselfish team work, and 
never once did he attempt to score a personal 
triumph at the expense of his fellow-com-/ 
manders. The success of any attack on New 
York, however, depended very largely upon 
the assistance of the French fleet under the 
Count de Grasse, which was then in the West 
Indies, and Washington and Rochambeau 
joined in sending its commander an urgent 
request to bring his ships North and blockade 
the harbor, while their troops attacked the city 
from the land side. If de Grasse would not 
do this, Washington begged him to take his 
ships to Virginia, and during the next twelve 
weeks, while his reply was being anxiously 
awaited, the wisdom of this latter j)lan became 
more and more evident. 

To be ready for either emergency Rocham- 
219 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

beau agreed to bring his troops to the Hudson, 
and, starting from Newport on June 9th, he 
marched his men, who up to this time had 
been of no practical service, through Prov- 
idence, Hartford, Farmington, and Bedford, 
to North Castle and Dobb's Ferry, where he 
made a junction with the Americans by about 
July 1st. Anticipating this, AVashington or- 
dei'cd a small f oi'ce from each army to advance 
and attempt to surprise the outlying British 
forts near King's Bridge, close to the city. 
This attack failed, but it served to alaim Clin- 
ton, and really had a far greater effect on the 
campaign than anyone then imagined, while 
the armed recoimoisances and similar prepara- 
tions for an attack which followed made him 
still more appi'ehensive. Meanwhile the com- 
bined Fi-ench and American forces fell back, 
and by July 6th they went into camp near 
Dobb's Ferry. 

Some few^ weeks later word was received 
from Lafayette that Gornwallis had moved to 
Yorkto^^Tl, on the York River, Virginia, close 
to Chesapeake Bay, and almost at the same 
moment the long-expected despatch arrived 
from de Grasse, advising "Wasliington tliat lie 
was just on the point of sailing for Chesapeake 

220 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST YORKTOWN 

Bay. The instant he received this news the 
American commander realized that his chance 
had come. Cornwallis had evidently brought 
his army to Yorktown that it might cooperate 
with a British fleet in the Chesapeake, and by 
good luck de Grasse was heading directly for 
this very spot. A bold, swift stroke might 
now end the war, and the plan which Wash- 
ington inmiediately put in operation was dar- 
ing to a really perilous degree. 

Up to this point all the movements of the 
French and Americans had convinced Clinton 
that an attack would soon be made against 
New York. Never for a moment did he imag- 
ine that his opponent would dare leave the 
Hudson unguarded and throw his whole army 
against Cornwallis. The risk of losing West 
Point and the difficulty of covering the hun- 
dreds of miles that lay between New York and 
Yorktown seemed to forbid any such maneu- 
ver. Nevertheless, this was precisely what 
Washington intended to do, and within a few 
days after the receipt of de Grasse 's message 
he was hurrying southward with every man he 
could possibly spare. 

Secrecy and speed were essential to suc- 
cess, for if Clinton discovered what was hap- 

221 



ox THE TRAIL OF VVASIIINGTOX 



peiiiiig, lie would undoubtedly try to throw his 
army Ijetween Cornwallis and the Americans, 
and even though he failed in stopping them 
he could easily delay their march until the 
British force at Yorkto\^ai had time to escape. 
Washing-ton, therefore, took extraordinary 








ROCHAMBEAU'S HEADQUARTERS NEAR ARD8LEY, N. Y., AS EXISTING 

IN 1909. 
(From a sketch by Jonatlian King.) 

care to conceal his plans, not only from his 
foes but also from his friends. Indeed, 
Rochambeau was the only officer who knew 
where the men were being headed as they hur- 
ried tlii'ough New Jersey, and so clcvci-ly was 
their i-oute selected, that even when Clinton 

learned oP tlieii' march he still believed that 

009 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST YORKTOWN 

the Americans, having failed in the attempt 
on his rear door near King's Bridge, were 
about to swing around and try to get in at the 
front door from Staten Island or Sandy Hook. 

This was just what Washington wanted 
him to think, and to deceive him still further, 
camp kitchens were erected along the expected 
line of march and the troops were so handled 
that they seemed to be moving straight to an 
attack on New York. But at the proper mo- 
ment they were suddenly turned southward at 
a pace that defied pursuit, and before the true 
situation dawned on the British commander 
they were almost at the Delaware Elver. But 
though he had by this time acquired a fairly 
safe lead, Washington did not slacken his 
speed, and with a roar of cheers from the now 
excited populace, the dusty columns were soon 
pouring through Philadelphia, the American 
commander pushing on ahead to Chester, and 
sending back word that de Grasse had arrived 
in Chesapeake Bay and that not a moment 
must be lost. 

Clinton then made a frantic effort to save 
the day by sending Arnold to attack some 
of the New England towns, thinking that the 
American commander might hurry back to 

223 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

their rescue. But AYashington was first and 
foremost a man of a good, hard conmion sense, 
and he knew that all Arnold could accomplish 
would be the destruction of a few defenseless 
towns, and to let Cornwallis escape in order 
to protect them did not appeal to his practical 
mind at all. He therefore paid no attention 
to the traitor's movements, but bent all his 
efforts on speeding his army southward. At 
Chesapeake Bay an exasperating delay oc- 
curred, for there were not sufficient vessels to 
transport the army over the water, and for 
a time the success of the whole expedition was 
threatened. But Washington was in no mood 
to be blocked by obstacles of this sort. If his 
troops could not be ferried down the Bay, 
they must march around it, and march many 
of them did, their General obtaining the first 
glimpse he had had in six years of his beloved 
Mount Vernon as he swept by, and on Sep- 
tember 28, 1781, his whole force was in front 
of Yorktown, with success fairl}- within its 
grasp. 

Meanwhile de Grasse's fleet had fiercely 
assailed a British squadron which had ])een 
sent to the rescue, and after a sharp engage- 
ment the French had been able to retui'n to 

224 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST YOKKTOWN 

the Bay while the British vessels were ob- 
liged to retire to New York, leaving Corn- 
wallis with the York River on one side of him, 
the James River on the other, and the Chesa- 
peake Bay at his back, but no ships to carry 
him to safety. Only one chance of escape now 
remained, and that was to hurl his whole army 
through the narrow neck of land immediately 
in front of him and beat a hasty retreat to the 
south. But Washington had anticipated this 
desperate move by positive instructions to La- 
fayette and acting upon them the young ^iar- 
quis rushed a body of French troops from the 
fleet into the gap, and the arrival of the Amer- 
ican army completely blocked it. 

But, though the enemy was now in his 
clutch, Washington lost no time in tightening 
his hold, for de Grasse declared that his orders 
would not allow him to tarry much longer in 
the Chesapeake, and the failure of the other 
attempts to work with the French warned him 
to take no risks on this occasion. He therefore 
instantly set the troops at work with pickaxes 
and shovels throwing up intrenchments, be- 
hind which they crept nearer and nearer the 
imprisoned garrison, and he kept them at their 
tasks night and day, supervising every detail 
16 225 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

of the siege and organizing the labor witli 
such method that not a second of time nor an 
ounce of strength was wasted. 

Finally, on October 14th — just sixteen days 
after the combined armies had arrived on the 
scene — the Conmiander-in-Chief determined 
to hurry matters still further by carrying two 
of the enemj^'s outer works by assault, and 
Hamilton was assigned to lead the Americans 
and Colonel de Deuxponts the French. A bril- 
liant charge followed and Washington and 
Rochambeau, closely watching the movement, 
saw the Americans scale one of the redoubts 
and capture it within ten minutes, while the 
French soon followed with equal success. 
From these two commanding positions a per- 
fect storm of shot and shell was then loosed 
against the British fortifications, but still 
Cornwallis would not yield. Indeed, he made 
an heroic attempt to break through the lines 
on the following night, and actually succeeded 
in spiking some of the French cannon before 
he was driven back; and again on the next 
night he made a desperate effort to escape by 
water only to be foiled by a terrific storm. By 
this time, however, his defenses were practi- 
cally battered to the ground and the town be- 



CAMPAIGN AGAINST YORKTOWN 

hind them was rapidly tumbling to pieces be- 
neath the fire of more than fifty guns. 

In the face of this terrific Ijombardment 
further resistance was useless, and at ten 
o'clock on the morning of October 17, 1781 — 
exactly four years after the surrender of Bur- 
goyne — a red-coated drunmier boy mounted 
one of the crumbling ramparts and beside him 
appeared an of^cer with a white flag. In- 
stantly the firing ceased and an American of- 
ficer approaching, the flag bearer was blind- 
folded and conducted to Washington. The 
message he bore was a proposition for sur- 
render and a request that hostilities be sus- 
pended for twenty-four hom^s. But to this 
Washington would not consent. Two hours 
was all he would grant for arranging the terms 
of surrender. To this Cornwallis yielded, but 
his first propositions were promptly rejected 
by Washington, and it was not until eleven 
at night that all the details were finally agreed 
upon, and Cornwallis, with over eight thou- 
sand officers and men, became prisoners of 
war. 

Two days later the British marched from 
their intrenchments, their bands playing a 
quaint old English tune, called " The World 

227 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Turned Upside Down," and, passing between 
the French and American troops drawn up in 
line to receive them, laid down their arms. At 
the head of the victorious columns rode Wash- 
ington, Hamilton, Knox, Steuben, Lafayette, 
Rochambeau, Lincohi, and many other officers, 
but the British commander, being ill, was not 
present in person, and when his representa- 
tive. General O'Hara, tendered his superior's 
sword to Washington, the Commander-in- 
Chief alloAved General Lincoln, who had once 
been Cornwallis's prisoner, to receive it, and 
that officer, merely taking it in his hand for a 
moment, instantly returned it. 

Meanwhile horsemen were flying in all di- 
rections with the joyful tidings, and within a 
week the whole country was blazing with en- 
thusiasm, while AVashington was calmly plan- 
ning to finish the work at which he had set his 
hand. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

HOME TRIUMPHS 

It was fortunate that Washington lost no 
time in compelling Cornwallis to surrender, 
for a few days after the British troops laid 
down their arms, Sir Henry Clinton reached 
Chesapeake Bay with strong reenforcements, 
and had the capitulation not already occurred, 
it is possible that he might have rescued the 
besieged garrison. As it was, he speedily 
sailed back to New York, and Washington im- 
mediately urged de Grasse to join him in an 
attack upon Charleston, South Carolina, and 
thus end the campaign with the capture of the 
only other important British stronghold in 
the South. 

But the reply of the French Admiral 
showed that the Americans were lucky to have 
kept his fleet as long as they had. Indeed, if 
the siege of Yorktown had lasted another ten 
days, it is probable that de Grasse would have 

229 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

sailed away and let Coriiwallis escape. At all 
events, he refused to finish the campaign as 
Washington suggested, and his prompt de- 
parture forced the American commander to 
abandon his well-laid plans for further vic- 
tories. There was nothing to be gained, 
therefore, by retaining the army in AMr- 
ginia, and the American troops were accord- 
ingly marched back to the Hudson, while the 
French forces under Rochambeau were held 
to await further orders. 

Meanwhile Washington had been sum- 
moned to Elthani, Virginia, by the serious ill- 
ness of his stepson, Jack Custis, where he ar- 
rived only a short time before the young man 
died, leaving a wife and four children. His 
death was a great grief to Washington, who 
had always regarded him as his own son, and 
this sad event drove all thoughts of the suc- 
cess at Yorktown from his mind. Public 
duties, however, soon called him away and, ar- 
ranging that Mrs. Washington should take the 
two youngest Custis childi*en to Mount Ver- 
non, he made a brief stay at his old home and 
hurried on to Philadelphia, where he remained 
for four months consulting with Congi'ess and 
preparing another plan of campaign. 

230 



HOME TRIUMPHS 

But no new campaign was destined to be 
fought, for within six months word was re- 
ceived from England that the British Parlia- 
ment was inclined to make peace and acknowl- 
edge the independence of America, and that 
the King's ministers who desired to continue 
the war would soon resign their posts. Sin- 
cerely as he hoped for such a result, Washing- 
ton knew that the best way to accomplish it 
was to prove that America was well prepared 
for war, and with that idea he made every ef- 
fort to keep his army ready for active service. 
But by this time the troops, who had received 
no pay for many a long month, were beginning 
to suspect that they would never obtain what 
was due them if the war closed, and with every 
sign of approaching peace their discontent 
deepened. Washington did his best to check 
this growing dissatisfaction, assuring the sol- 
diers that Congress would certainly provide 
for the payment of all their just claims, but 
in May, 1782, he received a most astonishing 
letter which proved that the officers as well as 
the men were in a dangerous mood and that 
the situation was altogether far more serious 
than he had supposed. 

This letter, which was written by Colonel 
231 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Lewis Nicola, a trusted officer and friend, ad- 
vised hini that the army was thoroughly dis- 
gusted with Congress and the existing form of 
government and that a king was needed in 
America, and that that king must be the Com- 
mander-in-Chief. AVashington was at his 
headquarters at Newburg when he received 
this remarkable document, and he immediately 
wrote the following reply : 

*'SiR : With a mixture of great surprise and 
astonishment I have read . . . the sentiments 
you have submitted. Be assured, Sir, no occur- 
rence in the course of the war has given me 
more painful sensations. . . . For the present 
the communication of them will rest in my own 
bosom miless some further agitation of the 
matter shall make a disclosure necessary. I am 
much at a loss to conceive what part of my con- 
duct could have given encouragement to an ad- 
dress which to me seems big with the greatest 
mischiefs, that can befall my country. If I 
am not deceived in the knowledge of myself 
3"ou could not have found a person to whom 
your schemes are more disagreeable. . . . Let 
me conjure you, then, if you have any regard 
for your country, concern for yourself or 

232 



HOME TRIUMPHS 

posterity'', or respect for me, to banish these 
thoughts from your mind and never communi- 
cate, as from yourself or anyone else, a senti- 
ment of the like nature." 

This stern, quiet, and dignified response 
instantly disposed of the offensive proposition 
and no other suggestion of making Washing- 
ton a king was ever heard of again. Never- 
theless, the restlessness of the army continued 
to increase, and ten months after Nicola's let- 
ter was written a meeting of almost all the 
prominent officers in the army was called to 
agree upon some means of forcing Congress to 
terms. But again Washington interposed, and 
summoning the officers, persuaded them to 
wait patiently and trust their fellow-country- 
men to see that they received fair treatment. 
Probably no one else could have prevented 
a disastrous clash between Congress and the 
army at this crisis. Had he been a selfish man, 
who desired to make himself the supreme 
power in the land, he needed only to have 
spoken the word and his troops would have 
swept him into any ]3lace of authority he de- 
sired. No force existed in the country which 
could have opposed the army, and the people, 

233 



ON rilK IHAU, OV WASlllNdON 

wonriod of tho war and dis^fiistoil witli tlio 
exist inix c:ovorniiioiU. would niultniUtoiily havo 
woU^nwed such a rulor as the Oonunaiuler-in- 
Cliief. 

Tims the destiny o\' the eountry was ah- 
solutely ill Washington's hands, and he kiunv 
that if he did not take advantage o( the situa- 
tion there was c'rave dauirer that some other 
h^ss eonseientious person niiuht do S(>. Hut it 
was not io i^ratify his own amhition ov to ad 
vaiu-e the interests o( any other indivitiunl 
that he had unsheathed his sword. He had 
battled to win freedom t'or Amerii-a and to 
make it a self-u'overninu,' nation, and he in- 
tended to tiu'ht with this purpose io the end. 
'• I have ixrtnvn iiray in your servi('(\'* he told 
his ot^eers when thi\v had assenihled Ix^fore 
him: and then with ureat t\u*('e and diunity ho 
denoimeed all the sihemes f(U- ailvaneinu" the 
interest of the army at the e\]HMise o( the etnm- 
trv as unworthy of men who had imperiled 
their lives and liberties in a ureat eause. and 
as he elosed with a touehiui;- ap]>eal \o their 
h('»n(U' and ]iatriotisni. many o\' liis lu^irers art^ 
said to ha\e tiinie»l away \o ]\\do \ho\v tt\irs. 

It is usual \o think of ^\'ashill^ton as a 
i::reat and sut'cessful military hauler, who in- 

•J.U 



S|>ir(t(] liis soldif^r's ;tJHl ij|>l)c,l(l the. cjiusc; of 
froodotn by ;). scrir;;-; of s|>l(',jHli<l v]<;\,()v\(',H in 
ilic fi<'l(l. IIiil, M„s ;>, rruilicj- of* i'iici,, li^; jicfiicvf'fl 
only f'onr nol.-ildc HiiccessoH dur-in^; nil IIk; 
Kevcn ycar'8 of Jho Kcvohilion; n.-urioly, id 
Boston, TiTvnion, l*»'in('(;l,on, uiul Vorklovvn. 
lie liJid ron^lii a losing", or at least an uphill 
fij^lil ;iliiiost from tlu; vc.vy outset of his <:txv('.(-v ; 
ho h;i(l hocn (lofc'ijcd ji^njn ;jnd a^ain ; ho li;id 
repeatedly saorifH-cd his own chances of su^*- 
cess for the bencvfit of others; he ha^l r-r-rnninr^l 
inactive for months, and even year's, wh(;n 
othci's vvej-e i[nf>ati(!iit for rash enterprisers, 
and his carnf)aij^is as a whole had displayed 
i'iiv tnofc cniition th;ui hr-illijirK-y. Assurvdly 
it was not f>y his rnilit;u'y tal(;nts alone, or 
even lar^Xily, that VVashin^lon commanded llic 
hearts and minds of tywai. lint from tlic mo- 
ment h(; announced his intention of serving' the 
country without pay or reward of any kind, 
he had d(!Votcd liimsrdf imscilfishly to the pnh- 
lic s(!rvice, vvitli the orif; idea of making the 
Unitcid Stat(!S a nation worthy of the name, 
and all who came in contact with him kn(!W 
that he had no oth(;r end in view. 

The man who is really wor-king for- olfu^r-s 
and not for- himself is easily recognized. Tlicr-e 

2:55 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

are very few such men, but their reward is tlie 
confidence of a whole people, and this Wash- 
ington received. Men believed in him; they 
trusted his word; they relied on his honor; 
they saw he had no thought of self. When 
" wild tongues were loosed " he was silent and 







Washington's headquarters at newburg, n. y., as existing 

IN 1909. 
(From a sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 



thought before he spoke. But having thought, 
he was not afraid to voice his opinion, though 
all the world was arrayed against him, and 
when the group of determined officers yielded 
to the wishes of their chief at Newburg on 
March 15, 1783, Washington achieved what 
was perhaps the greatest triumph of his life. 

236 



HOME TRIUMPHS 

Within ten days of this momentous meeting 
tidings arrived that a general treaty of peace 
had been signed, bringing the war to an end, 
and the proclamation by which this joyous 
news was announced to the army was pub- 
lished on April 19, 1783, exactly eight years 
after the battle of Lexington. 

Washington soon commenced negotiations 
with Sir Guy Carleton, who had succeeded Sir 
Henry Clinton as commander, at New York, 
for the surrender of that city, and prepara- 
tions were begun for disbanding the American 
army. Indeed, the soldiers were gradually re- 
turning to their homes during the whole of the 
summer of 1783, and by the time the British 
were ready to leave New York only a handful 
of American troops remained under arms. A 
few companies of infantry, cavalry, and artil- 
lery were still in service, however, and about 
November 20th Washington moved down 
from West Point to Harlem and prepared to 
take possession of the city from which he had 
retreated seven years earlier. The rear guard 
of the British began retiring to Staten Island 
on November 25, 1783, and on the same day 
the representatives of the Continental army 
entered the city in triumph, passing down the 

237 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Bowci-y to Wall Street and throTigli that his- 
toric highway to Broadway, where they halted 
near Trinity Chiu'ch. Washington and his 




"the long UOOM" in FUAUNCEs's tavern, new YORK CITY, WHERE 

WASHINGTON BADE FAREWELL TO HIS OFFICERS, AS EXISTING 

IN 1909. 

(From a sketch by Jonathan Ring.) 



staff soon followed, and that night a great ban- 
quet was given in his honor. 

Nine days later a distinguished group of 
officers gathered in Fraunces's Tavern to bid 
farewell to their chief. Around " the loner 
room " in that historic inn, which still remains 
much as it then was, stood many of the men 
who had fought and suffered witli him during 

238 



HOME TRIUMPHS 

all his hard campaigns. It was a scene which 
might have affected any man to tears and 
Washington was not ashamed to show his feel- 
ing. Face to face with those who had devotedly 
served him year after year in defense of the 
country, and with memories of their friend- 
ship and loyalty crowding upon him, he stood 
silent for a while not daring to trust himself 
to words. At last, mastering his emotion and 
speaking quietly and simply, but with deep 
feeling, he thanked his conorades for their 
support, congratulated the country on its suc- 
cess, and then taking each man by the hand, 
bade him an affectionate adieu. From the 
tavern all the officers accompanied him to the 
barge which awaited him at the river front, 
and as he stepped on board and lifted his hat 
in answer to their silent salute, Washington's^ 
military career practically ended. ^ 

At Philadelphia he stopped to settle his 
accounts with the Government, which were 
easily adjusted, for he had kept every item of 
his expenses with the same care and accuracy 
that he had bestowed on his private affairs dur- 
ing his farming days. Nevertheless, for much 
that he paid from his own pocket during the 
war he received no return, and he was com- 

239 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

parativel}" a poor man when he again turned 
his face homeward. A few days later he ar- 
rived at Annapolis where Congress was in 
session, and notifying it that ho was ready to 
resign his commission, appeared before that 
body at noon on December 23, 1783. 

Nothing could be more simple than the lit- 
tle ceremony which followed, but it would be 
difficult to imagine a more dignified or im- 
pressive scene. Eight years earlier he had ac- 
cepted the conmiand of the army with a few 
modest words, making no promises save that 
he would do his best; and now at the height 
of his triumph he came to return the trust 
conniiitted to his charge in the same modest 
fashion in which he had accepted it. No dis- 
play of any kind marked his entrance to the 
Hall of Congress. A messenger announced 
his approach and he entered the room attired 
in full unifonii, but attended by only two 
Aides, and, walking to the front of the cham- 
ber, seated himself in full view of the audience, 
with an Aide standing on either side. 

Before him, on the floor of the chamber, 
sat a company of twenty gentlemen wearing 
their hats according to the custom of the Con- 
gress at that time, and behind them and in the 

240 



HOME TRIUMPHS 

gallery stood a mass of spectators maintain- 
ing a dignified and impressive silence. 

A pause followed, and then the presiding 
officer turned to the man upon whom all eyes 
were centered and advised him that the United 
States in Congress assembled were prepared 
to receive his communications. Thereupon he 
rose, and as he did so all the officials raised 
their hats. No applause or demonstration of 
any kind, save this, greeted him, and the few 
simple words he uttered could be plainly heard 
in every part of the crowded chamber. Un- 
affectedly congratulating the asseml^led com- 
pany on the successful termination of the war, 
he craved the indulgence of retiring from the 
service of the country, and conmiending his 
officers and men to the favor of Congress, and 
" the interests of our dearest country to the 
protection of Almighty God," he resigned 
" with satisfaction the appointment which he 
had accepted with diffidence." 

A proper response was made by the presid- 
ing official, and a few moments later Washing- 
ton left the room a private citizen, and as he 
passed down the aisle between the seated rep- 
resentatives every official head was once more 

bared. 

17 241 



CHAPTER XXIX 

PEACE AND PUBLIC SEKVICE 

Tt was Christmas Eve, 1783, when Wash- 
ington arrived at Monnt Vernon, and a hap- 
pier wekxnne no man ever knew. Compared 
to the faet that he was at home onee more, snr- 
I'onnded by his loved ones, all the honors which 
he had won dnring his absence seemed as noth- 
ing in his eyes. This was the one event to 
which he had longingly looked forward, for 
more than eight years, ami to feel that he was 
free again to renew the life which he had left 
at the eall of duty filled him with unspeak- 
able joy. 

^lost men love their homes, but Washing- 
ton fairly adored his. He knew every tree and 
bypath — almost every stick and stone on the 
place, and all the friendly, familiar objects 
gave him a sense of peace and security sucli 
as he had not known for many a weary day. 
In some respects tlu^ plantation had suffered 

2-12 



PEACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

during the war, for there had been neither the 
men nor the mone}^ to keep the buildings and 
the fields in good condition ; but the cozy home- 
stead still remained stanch and comfortable, 
the crackle of a cheery fire and the welcome 
of his wife and adopted grandchildren awaited 
him, and Washington was deeply thankful and 
content. 

For a time he seems to have been satisfied 
simply to wander about the place, steeping 
himself in the restful quiet of the scene, watch- 
ing the broad, peaceful river dotted with white 
sails, riding at large over the wide fields and 
beneath the great trees, chatting with Brad- 
dock's old orderly Bishop, who had been left in 
a position of some responsibility during the 
Revolution; visiting his kennels and stables 
and the negro quarters — renewing his ac- 
quaintance with every well-remembered nook 
and corner. What a relief the silence and se- 
clusion must have afforded him after the fret- 
ful turmoil of the Revolution, those who have 
visited Mount Vernon can readily understand. 
It lies there to-day much as he saw it then — a 
spot freed from all contact with the outside 
world — a refuge and haven from care — a hal- 
lowed acreage to dream and think in, as placid 

243 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

and calm and dignified as the splendid, silent 
river flowing beneath its peaceful slopes. 

During the first month after his return 
Washington wrote but few letters, but every 
mail brought a mass of correspondence which 
called for a reply, and among the earliest com- 
munications was one from his old fencing mas- 
ter, Van Braam, who, much against his will, 
had been forced to serve in a British regiment 
and now WTote giving an account of his ad- 
ventures. Numerous other people wrote ask- 
ing his advice or assistance on all sorts of sub- 
jects, and had he attempted to answer them all 
he would have had very little time for anything 
else. Even as it was, two large volumes could 
be filled with his replies, and during the ex- 
ceptionally cold vrniter that followed his home- 
coming he was so busily employed at this task 
that in a large measure he neglected his own 
affairs. 

By the Summer, however, he began to im- 
prove his property, and before long he had 
entirely. resumed his life as a planter, giving 
personal attention to his crops, superintend- 
ing new buildings and beautifying his grounds 
with the same care he had bestowed on them 
before the war. During the next Spring he 

244 




WASHINGTON AT MOUNT VERNON AFTER THE REVOLUTION. 



PEACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

laid out the serpentine road and planted many 
of Mount Vernon's finest trees, and in his 
diary, which still exists, there are entries show- 
ing the transplanting of lilacs to the north 
garden gate, the moving of sassafras, dogwood 
and red-bud trees to the shrubbery on the grass 
plot, the placing of mulberries, maples, black 
gums, poplars, and other trees near the walks, 
and there many of them remain to-day, living 
witnesses of his presence and care. 

It was no feeble, white-headed old gentle- 
man who threw himself heart and soul into this 
work, for both physically and mentally Wash- 
ington was at this time in the prime of life. 
Winter and summer he rose at dawn, read or 
wrote till seven, breakfasted, and then mount- 
ing his horse rode over his plantations, sel- 
dom covering less than ten and often thirty 
miles a day. Clear-eyed, ruddy-complexioned, 
straight as an arrow, sitting his saddle with a 
grip of knee which made horse and rider one, 
he was the picture of health and vigor as he 
made his daily tours of inspection. On these 
occasions his usual costume was a plain blue 
or gray cloth coat, cassimere waistcoat, black 
breeches and boots ; but when there was more 
active work to be done he did not hesitate to 

245 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

lay aside his coat and labor with his workmen, 
and there were few whose strength could \ie 
with his. Indeed, during the laying out of the 
new fields and remodeling of the grounds he 
had to resort to his surveying again, and day 
after day he was busy with his instruments, 
Billy, his old body-servant, serving as one of 
the chainmen. Billy was a negro slave, and 
there were many other slaves on the planta- 
tions, but Washington had come to hate 
slavery, and in one of his letters dated at this 
period he wrote: " I never mean, unless some 
particular circumstances should compel me to 
it, to possess another slave by purchase, it be- 
ing among my first wishes to see some plan 
adopted by which slavery in this country may 
be abolished by law." Again eleven years 
later he wrote: "I wish from my soul that the 
Legislature of this State could see the policy 
of a gradual al^olition of slavery. It might 
prevent much future mischief." 

Thus, even then, Washington was stretch- 
ing out a hand to Lincoln. 

The slave question was not in those days 
an important topic of conversation, but Wash- 
ington's opinions on other subjects were 
eagerly sought and wideh^ quoted. Visitors 

246 



PEACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

from all parts of the country and many from 
abroad kept dropping in at Mount Vernon 
almost every day, and much that the host said 
and everything he wrote soon found its way to 
the public. Many of his guests were com- 
parative strangers to Washington, but Vir- 
ginian hospitality demanded that all who 
called be asked to stay the night, so the house 
was full to overflowing every day and the entry 
in his diary of June 30, 1785, records that 
Washington and his wife dined alone that 
day for the first time in eighteen months. But 
not all the visitors at Mount Vernon were 
chance or passing acquaintances. Lafayette 
came on two occasions, staying each time for 
a week or more, and James Madison, James 
Monroe, Gouverneur Morris, Patrick Henry, 
Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, '^ Light 
Horse Harry " Lee, and many other famous 
Americans were frequently numbered among 
the welcome guests. 

It was largely through those men and more 
particularly through his correspondence that 
Washington was kept in touch with the con- 
dition of the country, and it was with keen 
regret that he saw the Government of the 
United States growing weaker every day. The 

247 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

mere fact that the various States had called 
themselves " United " had not made them 
so. Indeed, they were almost completely dis- 
united, each one working for itself with no 
more interest in the others than if each had 
been a separate nation. In other words, Amer- 
ica was not becoming a nation, but a mere 
collection of little States without power or dig- 
nity, or even self-respect. Against this ten- 
dency Washington protested on every possible 
occasion, freely expressing his opinion and 
urgmg the leading men of the coimtry to use 
their influence to bind the States together into 
a respectable nation which might deserve and 
win success. As a General he had shown the 
value of team play, and now, when he insisted 
that united action on the part of all the States 
was essential to the formation of any govern- 
ment worthy of the name, his words reached 
more i)eople and carried more weight than 
those of any other man in the land. 

Therefore, when Congress directed that 
representatives from each of the States should 
assemble in Philadelphia in May, 1787, and 
try to form a national constitution, it was nat- 
ural that Virginia should have chosen him as 
one of her delegates. But Washington had 

248 



PEACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

taken no active part in the politics of the coun- 
try since his retirement and he had no desire 
to re-enter public life. His ambition was to 
succeed as a planter, and he had only just be- 
gun to restore to Mount Vernon something of 
its former prestige. lie therefore hesitated to 
undertake any duties which threatened to in- 
terfere with this, and at first he declined to 
represent Virginia at the coming convention; 
but being persuaded that he had no right to 
refuse his aid after having constantly urged 
the formation of a strong central government, 
he finally consented to act, and set out for 
Philadelphia on the 9th of May, 1787. 

The prospects of accomplishing anything 
useful were not very cheerful when he first 
arrived upon the scene, for orjly a handful of 
delegates appeared on the day appointed for 
opening the proceedings, and almost two weeks 
elapsed before sufficient States were repre- 
sented to permit the convention to be held. 
On May 25th, however, Washington fomid 
himself unanimously elected as the presiding 
officer, and for the next four months he was 
almost exclusively occupied with the business 
of framing the (Constitution. Every line and 
almost every word in this important document 

249 



ON THE TKAIL OF W ASiliNU TON 

was discussed at groat lonij:th, but "Washington 
as ohairnian of the nieetini^s sekloni took anv 
part in the debates. XevertheU^ss, his opinion 
had great weight witii the other representa- 
tives who sought his adviee in and out o( the 
State House where the sessions were heUl, and 
without his personal influenee it is doubtful 
if any agreement wouUl have been reached. 

^leanwhile he relieved the tedium of the 
work, whieh required his presence from live to 
seven hours a day, by running out to A' alley 
Forge, not to sentimentalize over the scene of 
his old encampment, but to get some trout tish- 
ing in the neighboring streams; and he like- 
wise managed to take a tlying trip to Trenton 
where he had once made an historic catch, l)ut 
where he now tried to catch ])ercli '* not very 
successfully," but later '* with more success/* 

Finally, on September 17, 1787, the (Con- 
stitution was accepted by the representatives 
of eleven out of the thirteen States, and Wash- 
ington, forwarding the document to Congress, 
hastened back to the delights of Blount 
Vernon. The Constitution did not in cmmt 
respect meet with his appro\al, but he lirnily 
believed that it oifered the best scheme of gov- 
ernment tliat was p<^ssil)le at tlic moment, and 

1:00 



PKACK AND lUIIilJC SKKVICK 

that if* th(i various States agrcHul to iilndo, ])y 
it, tlioi'o was cveiy prospect of building up a 
pj'ospei'ous and povvorrul nation. "I never 
saw him so keen for anything in liis liiV; as he 
is for the adoption of ili(^ new sclienKi of gov- 
ernment," wrotci one of his I'ricinds to Thomas 
Jeifei'son, hut in tli(^ ficu-c-e struggle which at 
oiK^e took place in all tlie States for and 
against the Constitution he took littU; or no 
part, and only echoes of the contest reached 
him in the shelter of Mount Vei-non. 

Here he worlced and plamKul and played 
with all his accustomed zest, riding over the 
plantations, training a new and very wild pack 
of hounds which Jiafayette had sent him, fish- 
ing and superintending the netting of shad in 
tlie river, where as many as three hundr(id 
were frequently caught in one haul; building 
a new hai'ii along lines suggested to him by 
the famous English authority on agricultui'e, 
Arthur Young, attending the local races and 
the theater, and generally enjoying himself as 
only a hard-working, healthy, active man can. 
Those who imagine Washington as a solemn, 
slow-moving, statuesque human being, would 
do well to read his diaries and correspondence 
at this time, which show him as a man of ac- 

251 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

tion, brimful of life and energy — the great 
prototype of the millions whose enterprise and 
enthusiasm are continuing to build up Amer- 
ica. 

On June 9, 1788, a strange little vessel 
sailed into the Potomac and anchored off 




HUNTING HORN PRESENTED TO WASHINGTON BY LAFAITITTE. 
(Drawn from the origiDal at Mount Vernon.) 

Mount Vernon. It was only about fifteen 
feet in length, but it was completely equipped 
as a full-rigged ship, with masts and cross- 
trees and sails, and it bore the name Feder- 
alist, the name by which those who favored 
the Constitution were known. This toy vessel 
which had been sent to Washington ])y the 



PEACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

merchants of Baltimore announced to him 
Maryland's acceptance of the Constitution, 
and the arrival of the tiny craft served to 
bring home the fact that the people through- 
out the country had only one man in mind 
for the head of the nation when they accepted 
the Constitution creating the office of Presi- 
dent. Yet Washington was unwilling to think 
of entering public life again. ^' The first wish 
of my soul is to spend the evening of my life 
as a private citizen on my farm," he wrote 
one of his friends. But Hamilton, and other 
leading men of the country, were insistent that 
he lay aside his personal wishes in response to 
the general call of the country, and on April 6, 
1789, when the votes of the electors were 
counted in New York, it was found that every 
ballot had been cast in his favor. 

Eight days later, Charles Thomson, the 
aged Secretary of Congress, rode up the broad 
driveway of Mount Vernon and, being ushered 
into the reception room, delivered into Wash- 
ington's hands the official letter notifying 
him that he had been unanimously elected as 
the first President of the United States. Two 
days later he set forth on his journey to New 
York, in company with Mr. Thomson and 

253 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Colonel Humphre3's, and his diary for that 
day records as follows: "About ten o'clock 
I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, 
and to domestic felicity . . . with the best 
disposition to render service to my country in 
obedience to its call, but Avith less hope of 
answering its expectations." " My move- 
ments to the chair of government will be ac- 
companied by feelings not imlike those of a 
culprit who is going to the place of his execu- 
tion," he Avrote General Knox, " so imwilling 
am I ... to quit a peaceful abode for an ocean 
of difficulties without that competency of poli- 
tical skill, abilities, and inclination, which are 
necessary to manage the helm." 

From the moment he left his ow^i gates 
his journey was well-nigh a continuous ova- 
tion, his neighbors and friends escorting him 
to the borders of Virginia, and each hamlet, 
village, and town through which he passed 
welcoming him with demonstrations of affec- 
tion. At Trenton the citizens had erected a 
triumphal arch over the old bridge across 
Assanpink Creek, where he had fought off 
Cornwallis's attack, and as he passed over it 
his way was strewn with flowers. 

On April 23, 1789, he arrived in New York, 
254 



PEACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

being rowed across the bay from New Jersey 
in a splendid barge manned by thirteen pilots 
in white uniforms, and landing at the foot of 
Wall Street, walked, amid the cheers and 
salutes of the people, to the residence which 
had been prepared for him near what is now 
known as Franklin Square. 



CHAPTER XXX 

THE PRESIDENT 

For a week Washington remained quietly 
in New York, where great preparations were 
being made for installing him as President. 
On Wall Street a fine building, known as 
Federal Hall, had been erected and presented 
to Congress, and here the inauguration was to 
take place. Those who feared that American 
liberty would be endangered by the observ- 
ance of any forms whatsoever, were exceed- 
ingly critical of the arrangements made for 
the occasion, but it was, after all, a very simple 
ceremony that marked the inauguration of the 
first President of the United States. 

Early on the morning of April 30, 1789, 
the bells of all the churches summoned the 
people to their various places of worship for 
the special services ordained for the day, and 
by the time tliose were concluded the military 
and civil procession was already moving to- 

256 



TlilL 



ward tlie Franklin house, and Wall Street and 
its vicinity were crowded with a dense mass 
of spectators. Washington left his residence 
shortly after twelve o'clock, but so great was 
the throng in the streets that his carriage did 
not reach Federal Hall for almost an hour, 
and he was obliged to alight some little dis- 
tance from the building and make his way to 
it on foot, passing through the cheering crowd 
between a double line of troopers. A mo- 
ment's pause followed, and then he appeared 
on the balcony facing Wall and Broad Streets, 
and behind him came John Adams, Chancellor 
Livingstone, Baron Steuben, General Knox, 
and other distinguished officers and officials. 
He was dressed in a plain brown-cloth suit, 
with metal buttons ornamented with eagles; 
his stockings were white silk and his shoe 
buckles silver; at his side he carried a steel- 
hilted dress sword, and his powdered hair was 
worn in a queue. 

Never did any man receive a more genuine 
and heartfelt welcome than that which greeted 
Washington as he faced the mass of spectators, 
but he was evidently unprepared for the wild 
outburst with which he was acclaimed. It was 
at once a roar of triiunphant thanksgiving, a 
18 257 



T 



HAIJ 



national salute, and a tribute of admiration 
and affection, and visibly affected by it, he 
stepped back for a moment to recover liis com- 
IDOsure. In anotliei' instant, however, he re- 
appeared with Chancellor Livingstone in his 
official robe, and Samuel Otis, the Secretary 
of the Senate, bearing a Bible on a crimson 
cushion. With his hand upon the opened book, 
he then took the prescribed oath to maintain 
and defend -.the Constitution, and almost be- 
fore the crowd realized that the ceremony was 
taking place, a crash of artillery announced 
that George Washington was President of the 
United States. A short address to the mem- 
bers of Congress followed, and then the new 
head of the nation, accompanied by the Vice 
President, the Senators, and Representatives, 
walked up Broadway to St. Paul's Church, 
where he occupied the pew which still bears 
his initials in honor of his presence at the 
services on that day. 

Thus ended the first inaugural ceremonies, 
^^'hich, simple as they were, probably caused 
Washington more embarrassment than he had 
ever previously experienced, for no man had 
a greater dislike of display than he, and no 
one ever more thorouejhly dreaded making 

258 



THE PRESIDENT 

a public exhibition of himself. But though 
his personal tastes were those of a plain, mod- 
est gentleman, who despised notoriety of every 
kind, he had no intention of allowing the 
Presidency to become a cheap or familiar 
office, and almost his first official act was to de- 
vise, with Hamilton and Madison, simple but 
proper rules to maintain his dignity as the 
head of the nation. Of this came the regula- 
tions which have, with slight changes, gov- 
erned the etiquette of all the Presidents since 
his day. In this, and in every other act of his, 
Washington realized that he was establishing 
a precedent, which would profoundly affect the 
future of the country, and with this idea he 
worked cautiously but steadily to uphold the 
dignity of the nation and win respect for it 
from both friends and foes. 

The scheme of government laid down in 
the Constitution was as yet untried, but, de- 
termining that it should have a full and fair 
test, he chose for his advisers in the Cabinet 
only those who, like himself, believed in the 
Constitution and wished to see it succeed. To 
this end he selected Thomas Jefferson as his 
Secretary of State, General Knox for the War 
Department, Edmund Randolph for the Attor- 

259 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

ney-General, and, most important of aU, Alex- 
ander Hamilton for head of the Treasnry, and 
he familiarized himself with all their dnties 
with the same care he had exercised in manag- 
ing his private affairs. He was thus not merely 
nominally, but actually, the head of the Gov- 
ernment who made it his business to know all 
that was being done and how to do it, and 
who labored with unflagging energy to mas- 
ter every detail of the work. Hampered at 
first by a dangerous illness which, for a tune, 
seriously threatened his life, he nevertheless 
resumed his task at the earliest possible mo- 
ment, and stuck to it without sparing himself, 
and with no thought save that of building on a 
firm foundation for the future generations. 
To familiarize the people of the various 
States with the existence of the Federal or Na- 
tional Government, he made a long tour 
through New England, visiting all the prin- 
cipal cities, and when John Hancock, the Gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts, attempted to assert the 
supremacy of the State over the Federal Gov- 
ei'nment by forcing the President to pay him 
the first official visit, Washington courteously 
but firmly declined to dine with him, and Han- 
cock, realizing his mistake, yielded, and at- 

200 



THE PRESIDENT 

tended in person at the President's lodgings. 
This was, of course, a trifling matter, but 
Washington rightly understood its impor- 
tance at that crisis. If any one of the States 
was to regard itself as superior in dignity to 
all the States combined, or, in other words, to 
the nation at large, there would be an end to 
all centralized government, and the United 
States would be a nation only in the name. It 
was for this reason that the President insisted 
on the etiquette of the occasion, and his treat- 
ment of this little incident went far to estab- 
lish the national authority at a critical mo- 
ment. 

There were those who saw dangers to lib- 
erty, however, in all Washington's efforts 
to maintain the dignity of the United States, 
and before long he was accused of being an 
aristocrat and of attempting to introduce all 
the pomp and ceremonies of the monarchies of 
the Old World. But at these criticisms and 
complaints Washington only smiled. Pride of 
office had no charms for him. He had a settled 
purpose to make the nation self-respecting 
as well as respected, and if the loud-mouthed 
lovers of liberty had not the intelligence to 
distinguish between official decormn and per- 

261 



ON THE TRxVIL OF WxVSHIXGTON 

sonal ijretense, it \Yuiild be folly to seek the 
level of their comprehension. But most of 
the people did not require either explanation 
or answer. They undenstood the quiet, unas- 
suming man of common sense, who steadily 
set in motion one wheel after another of the 
national machinery, and maintained a tirm 
controlling hand, which neither home criti- 
cism nor foreign bulljdng could shake. 

Against the clamor of those who hated Eng- 
land he signed a treaty with the mother coun- 
try, waiving many minor rights, to gain tran- 
quillity and a recognized place among the 
nations, and assumed all responsibility for the 
result; against the pretensions and demands 
of France he promptly interposed a protest 
and, when that coimtry hesitated to observe a 
proper attitude toward the United States, he 
took such unmistakable measures to make 
the protest effective, that all attempts at bully- 
ing ceased ; against the discontented Pennsyl- 
vanians, \vho undertook to override the laws 
of Congress, he marched an army, before 
which the mob scattered without a blow. In 
other words, he represented the nation as a 
whole on every occasion without fear or favor, 
trusting at all times to the connnon sense of 

262 



THE PRESIDENT 

his fellow-countrymen, and with a clear vision 
constantly before him of the coming greatness 
of the Government he was upbuilding for 
those who were to follow him. 

At the end of his first term he hesitated 
long and anxiously before he could make up 
his mind to continue in office for another four 
years. All his personal inclinations urged 
him to retire absolutely to private life, but he 
accepted the unanimous call of the people in 
1793, and settled down once more to the task 
which had already taxed his strength and was 
steadily wearing him down. As yet there was 
no organized party opposed to him, but, as 
time went on, the foolish criticisms and accu- 
sations which had at first amused him began 
to take a more serious and ugly form, and they 
occasionally aroused him to great bitterness 
and wrath. Despite the calmness and reserve 
which he had acquired through years of ex- 
perience, Washington was, like most honor- 
able men, extremely sensitive, and to have his 
actions misinterpreted and his motives im- 
pugned hurt him, though they seldom pro- 
voked him to answer. It is well for Americans 
to remember, when they are tempted to rash 
accusations against honorable public servants, 

263 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

that AVashington was at one time driven to 
exclaim that he would rather be in his grave 
than suffer the treatment he received at the 
hands of those he was doing his best to serve. 

During all these years he had kept close 
watch of Moimt Vernon, sending minute di- 
rections from time to time for its development, 
visiting it at every possible opportunity, and 
eagerly looking forward to the day when he 
would once more be able to return there, re- 
lieved of public cares. That day came on 
]\Iarch 4, 1797, when John Adams was inaugu- 
rated as his successor. But it was not the new 
President who Avas the center of all eyes on 
that occasion, but the retiring official, and 
when the ceremonies were completed and he 
passed from the Hall of Congress, the crowd, 
almost forgetting Adams, followed him out 
into the street, and accompanied him with 
acclamations of affection to the very door of 
his house. 

Ten days later Mount Vernon again wel- 
comed its master, and the man who eight 
years before had left it fearing that he was 
not equal to the duties to which he had been 
called, returned as one of the most famous 
statesmen of the world. 

264 



CHAPTER XXXI 

MOUNT VERNON 

A FEW days before Washington started for 
his home he wrote to General Knox that it was 
unlikely that he would ever be farther than 
twenty miles from Mount Vernon during the 
rest of his life. Twice before, he had been 
called from retirement, but this time he saw 
no possibility of anything interfering with the 
peaceful enjoyment of his home life, and 
Mount Vernon never had greater attractions 
for him than it joresented at this time. True, 
the buildings had fallen somewhat into disre- 
pair during his absence, and there was much 
to be done to restore the plantation to the con- 
dition in which he had left it, but his favorite 
adopted grandchild, Miss Nellie Custis, a girl 
of great beauty and charm, and Lafayette's 
young son, George Washington Lafayette, ac- 
companied him from Philadelphia, and the 
presence of the young people added greatly to 
the joy of his home-coming. 

265 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

But if he imagined that because he was no 
longer President he had ceased to be a public 
man, he was speedily disillusioned, for visi- 
tors from all parts of the country flocked to 
Mount Vernon in far greater nimibers than 
ever before, so that the house practically be- 
came ^' a well-resorted inn." All sorts and 
conditions of people wrote him, some send- 
ing him presents, others asking questions, 
others requesting materials from which to 
write his life, others dedicating books, poems, 
and songs to him, or asking permission to do 
so, and generally making such demands on his 
time that he himself declared that at no period 
of his life had he been more engaged than 
during the six or eight months immediately 
following his return. Among the almost coimt- 
less letters addressed to him about this time 
was one from Joseph Hopkinson, inclosing a 
copy of his song, " Hail Columbia," which 
may fairly be said to have been the fii'st Amer- 
ican national anthem. But little did Wash- 
ington dream that the enthusiasm with which 
it was received throughout the land was the 
forerunner of another message calling him 
again to the country's service. 

*' Hail Columbia " was, however, first sung 
266 



MOUNT VERNON 

in April, 1798, at a time when the feeling be- 
tween the United States and France was ex- 
ceedingly bitter, and there was every prospect 
of war. The French Revolution, which had 
driven Lafayette into exile and had resulted 
in his imprisonment and caused his son to seek 
refuge with Washington, had then almost run 
its course, and young Lafayette had already 
returned to France to greet his father; but 
the attitude of the French Government, which 
had long been offensive toward the United 
States, had at last taken such form as to 
rouse universal indignation in America. John 
Marshall, Charles Pinckney, and Elbridge 
Gerry, the American envoys who had been sent 
to arrange a treaty with France, were received 
with marked disrespect, and the agents of the 
French Government finally went so far as to 
demand money from them before they would 
consider any treaty at all. Marshall and 
Pinckney accordingly departed, and when 
their report of what had happened was re- 
ceived the whole country showed a resentment 
which threatened to end in war. It was at this 
crisis that Pinckney uttered the famous phrase 
" Millions for defense, but not one cent for 
tribute! " " Hail Columbia " was sung by 

267 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

patriotic throngs; an army of ten thousand 
men was authorized by Congress, and the su- 
preme conmiand was offered to Washington, 
with the title of Lieutenant General. Wash- 
ington himself did not believe that the two 
countries which had so lately professed warm 
friendship for each other would be driven to 
the point of war, but he saw that unless the 
United States showed itself ready to defend 
its honor and dignity, it would lose the re- 
spect of other nations, and he heartily ap- 
proved of prompt and vigorous action. 

' ' At the epoch of m}^ retirement, ' ' he wrote 
the President, " an invasion of these States by 
any European power, or even the probability 
of such an event happening in my days, was so 
far from being contemplated by me, that I had 
no conception that that, or any other occur- 
rence, would arise in so short a j^eriod which 
could turn n\y eyes from the shade of ]Mount 
Vernon. . . . But in case of actual invasion 
... I certainly should not intrench myself 
under the cover of age and retirement if my 
services should be required by my comi- 
try ..." 

Thus, at the age of sixty-six, Washington 
once more found himself at the head of au 

2G8 



MOUNT VERNON 

army, actively preparing to take the field, with 
Alexander Hamilton as his second in com- 
mand, and many of his other old comrades 
flocking to his side. For a while all was bustle 
and excitement, and the new Lieutenant Gen- 
eral was soon obliged to leave Mount Vernon 
and make Philadelphia his headquarters ; but 
before the close of 1799 all fear of war had dis- 
appeared, and Washington once more laid 
aside his sword and returned to his loved 
Mount Vernon. 

Meanwhile Miss Nellie Custis had become 
engaged to Lawrence Lewis, one of Washing- 
ton's favorite nephews, and her wedding was 
fixed for February 22, 1799, the general's 
sixty-seventh birthday. At first Miss Custis 
was anxious that Washington should grace 
the occasion by wearing his new uniform as 
Lieutenant General, but when he shook his 
head and appeared in the buff and blue in 
which he had fought the Revolution, the 
young bride threw her arms about his neck 
and declared he was right and that she would 
rather see him in his old uniform than in any 
other dress. 

But though Washington was soon relieved 
of all military cares, he continued to be busily 

269 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

engaged on all sorts of work from morning till 
night. Not the least important of the many 
claims upon his time was the superintendence 
of the erection of the public buildings in the 
future city of Washington, or, the Federal 
City, as it was then called. At that time it 
was practically nothing but a spot on the map, 
and not much more than a beginning had been 
made upon the plans, yet Washington saw the 
future National Capital as plainly as he fore- 
saw the wonderfully i-apid growth and expan- 
sion of the whole United States. In May, 1798, 
he wrote: "A century hence, if this country 
keeps united (and it is surely its policy and in- 
terest to do so), it will produce a city, though 
not as large as London, yet of a magnitude in- 
ferior to few othei-s in Europe, on the banks 
of the Potomac, where one is now establishing 
for the permanent scat of Government of the 
United States." 

That prophecy has been more than ful- 
filled, and there is many another prediction of 
Washington's which Americans can read with 
profit, if not with equal satisfaction. The 
master of Mount Vernon did not, however, 
allow his many public duties to detract from 
his interest and pride in his plantations. In 

270 



MOUNT VERNON 

April, 1799, he began a careful survey of his 
property, doing the work himself, with much 
the same keenness as he had displayed in his 
boyish days, when he had first made rough 
drawings of its fields. Indeed, he continued 
this work at odd intervals up to November, 
1799, and on December 10th of that year he 
completed a plan for the development of the 
plantation, giving minute instructions to his 
manager for the sowing of the fields, advising 
as to the rotation of the crops, and generally 
presenting sufficient details for carrying on 
the work for a series of years. Every item 
of this document, which covered fully thirty 
pages, displayed all the thoroughness and pre- 
cision of his most active years, and the loving 
care which he bestowed upon it shows that 
the preservation and maintenance of his prop- 
erty were among the dearest wishes of his 
heart. 

The day after he finished this labor of 
love Lord Fairfax, the successor of his old 
friend and patron, dined with him at Mount 
Vernon, and the next morning he started out 
at ten o'clock on his usual inspection of the 
plantations, remaining in the saddle until late 
in the afternoon. That same day he wrote 

271 



ox THE TRAIL OF WASHINGTON 

Hamilton, warmly approving his plan for es- 
tablishing the military academy which was 
later located at West Point, and which had 
been the snbject of several of his reconnnenda- 
tions to Congress. Friday, December 13, 1799, 
brought a heavy fall of snow, which prevented 
him from taking his usual trip on horseback, 
but, although not feeling well, he spent the 
afternoon in marking some trees which he 
wished removed for the improvement of the 
grounds between the house and the river, and 
in the evening he made the same careful note 
of the weather in his diary, which had been 
his daily custom for some years. During the 
night, however, he was suddenly taken ex- 
tremely ill with acute larjmgitis, and before 
long he became convinced that he could not 
live. Doctors were called in and various reme- 
dies were tried, but without avail. Washing- 
ton's whole thought during the few hours that 
followed was to make no complaint and try to 
ease the anxiety of his wife and friends. *' I 
am not afraid to go," he told liis physician, 
and as his secretary sat beside him holding 
his hand, he withdrew it and calmly felt his 
own pulse. Thus bravely and serenely Wash- 
ington passed away, and so quietly did the end 

272 



MOUNT VERNON 

come tliat those watching beside him scarcely 
realized that he was dead. 

Four days later he was buried in the fam- 
ily vault, only a short distance from the house, 
on the slope overlooking the majestic river 
which had gladdened his eyes for so many 
years. Only a few neighbors and friends, and 
a small company of soldiers and local officials 
attended the funeral, which was marked by 
the simplicity and modesty which had always 
honored the man. Out on the river a schooner 
fired a solemn salute of minute guns, and can- 
non on the shore boomed reply; the troops 
marched past the house, followed by the Gen- 
eral's horse bridled and saddled, bearing hol- 
sters and pistols and led by two grooms in 
black, and behind them Washington's body, 
carried by officers and Freemasons, was borne 
to its final rest. 

Thus ended the career of the man who, in 
addition to his other distinctions, is fairly en- 
titled to that of being the first American. The 
fact that he was the descendant of an ancient 
English family and was reared in English tra- 
ditions, does not, as more than one distin- 
guished writer has observed, in any wsij de- 
tract from his Americanism. He was among 
19 - 273 



ON THE TRAIL OF WASIIIXGTOX 

the first to recognize and appreciate the genius 
of the people of this country, and to compre- 
hend the possibilities that lay within them, and 
to the development of those possibilities and 
the cultivation of that genius he was intensely, 
unswervingly loyal. What American has a 
higher or a better claim to patriotism than 
this? 

Washington was not a brilliant man; he 
was not scholarly or profound ; he was not even 
particularly gifted. But he was industrious 
without being a slave to work; he was thor- 
ough to a fault ; he had a deep appreciation of 
honor, the courage and manliness to live true 
to his highest thought, and the broad-minded- 
ness to compromise with those who differed 
with him where anything but honor and prin- 
ciple were concerned. lie was not a genius, 
but he was a master of conunon sense ; he was 
not an impossi])le hero, but he was a severely 
tested human being who conquered himself; 
he was not the greatest soldier that the woild 
has ever seen, but he was certainly the most 
unselfish and proba1)ly the most successful 
statesman known to history. 

It is for these human qualities, revealing 
the possibilities that lie with us all, that Wash- 

274 



MOUNT VERNON 

ington is honored tlirouglioiit the world. It is 
in recognition of this that each State in this 
mighty Union, and many of the nations of the 
earth, contributed a stone to the majestic shaft 
that forms his monument to-day. It is for re- 
membrance of this that America has preserved 
Mount Vernon, where the presence of the man 
is felt and his spirit breathes an inspiring ben- 
ediction over the land he loved. 



(.r 'i-t 



AUTTTOPiTTTES 

The following are a few of the autliorities 
relied upon in the text: 

" Writings of Washington," in fourteen volumes (ed- 
ited by Worthington C. Ford); Washington's "Journal 
Wliile Surveying for Lord Fairfax" (edited by J. M. 
Toner) ; Wasliington's " Journal on a Tour to Barbadoes " 
(edited by J. M. Toner); Washington's "Journal While 
Connnanding a Detachment of Virginia Troops in 1754" 
(edited by J. M. Toner) ; " Washington's Orderly 
Books"; "Barons of the Potomac" (Conway); "Wash- 
ington's Rules of Civility" (Conway); " Braddock's 
Poad" (TTulbert) ; "Washington's Koad " (the first chap- 
ter in the old French war) (TTulbert) ; "The Apprentice- 
ship of Washington" (TTodgcs) ; "The Private Soldier 
under Washington" (T3olton) ; "Battles of Trenton and 
T'rinceton" (Stryker) ; "The Marquis dc liafayette in the 
American TJevolution " (Tower); "Valley Forge Or- 
derly Book" (Weedon); "Battle of Brandywine " 
(Stone); "The Yorktown Campaign" (Johnston); 
"American T^evolution " (Fiske) ; "The American T?evo- 
lution" (Trevelyan) ; "Narrative and Critical History of 
America" (Winsor) ; "Tjife of George Washington" (W. 
C. Ford); "Life of Washington" (Irving): "Life of 
Washington" (Marshall) ;" Life of Washington" 
(I.odge); "The True George Washimrton " (P. L. 
Ford); "The Seven Ages of Washington" (Wister) ; 
"The Americanism of Washington" (Van Dyck) ; "The 
Thirst American: TTis Homes and TTouseholds " (Tler- 
bcrt) : "Confederation and the Constitution" (McTjaugh- 
lin): "Life of Alexander Hamilton" (Oliver): "Wash- 
ington nrier the l?evolution " (Baker) : " G('iu>ral Greene " 
(F. V. Gioone): " T.ife of Philip Schuyler" (Tiickcr- 
man) : " Ilrmv T\ iio\ " (Brooks). 

276 

(1) 



Q 



